The Viral Empire
by Witch Knight Daisy
Summary: Second installment to the "Viral Empire" series. Turbo has taken full control over Game Central Station! And what will await Vanellope and Ralph in Outlet Central? Will the residents in this new arcade be their only hope of taking GCS back? And all before Litwak returns in a week? And what will become of Felix? VanellopexRalph near the end! Reviews and crit are always appreciated!
1. Prologue

**Glad you all LOVED the first part of my series! Here's the next installment to it! And ideas are encouraged and welcome! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wreck-It Ralph!**

**The Viral Empire**

**Prologue**

_Who am I?_ Felix wondered, curling into a ball in his bed in _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ Ever since he'd run off and away from the pit in _Hero's Duty_, he'd asking the same question over and over again. He'd done a horrible thing, that much he knew. But he couldn't have helped it-he'd been corrupted by Turbo, the very scourge of the arcade. Felix had been a virus, whose code had been scrambled in order for Turbo to pit the handyman agaist Ralph. His best friend. His "brother" whom he nearly killed but brutally injured. The very thought and memory of it made the now-tainted Good Guy cringe more. No way could Felix face his friends or anybody for that matter. He was beyond salvation and forgiveness.

That was when the handyman glanced up at himself in the mirror in the corner of the penthouse, no longer recognizing the hero of a game. One who loved pies and medals. And definitely not the man who married a "dynamite gal." Despite the now-normal features of himself, he knew he couldn't be trusted anymore. He had to stay away, to keep others safe. His friends, the Nicelanders, and even his wife. He couldn't risk hurting them, not like he did Ralph.

_How pathetic!_

"What in the great golly was that?" Felix wondered, then turned to notice his reflection glaring back at him, red eyes skewering into blue. The Good Guy slowly backed away in fear. "I thought..."

_What?_ The reflection spat. _You got rid of me! Fool! I'm always a part of you! I _am _you!_

"No..." But Felix glanced down at his hammer to realize it was still white. _I can't...It can't be._

**Read and Review and look forward to the next chapter! Updates will probably be every week like the last one!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wreck-It Ralph!**

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 1**

_Vanellope was storming the structure Turbo called home in _Hero's Duty_, where Ralph was being held. She ran down each hallway, which, surprisingly, was empty. Not a single Cy-Bug or soldier was present. But the corridors felt like they could go on forever. _

_Then laughing was heard. Turbo's laugh._

_"Ralph..." She started to follow the voice, heading down the long corridor. But she ended up at a dead-end. "What the?" Turning around, Vanellope realized she was boxed in, nothing but metallic walls surrounding her._

_Turbo's familiar cackle was heard again. But where? She couldn't go anywhere. The princess was trapped...or so she thought as the next thing she knew was that the floor above her started to rise, like an elevator or one of those lifts from _Super Mario , this is just freaking me out right now._ Vanellope thought as the floor screeched to a halt. Turning around, she realized she was at the top of the fortress, where the player usually earns a medal. But in place of the medal, Vanellope gasped in horror at the figure chained in the middle of the beacon._

_"RALPH!" The princess ran over to him, noticing the wrecker was badly injured, with bruises and gashes all over his large body. He was also pale, as if he'd been infected somehow. "Who...? Who could have...?"_

_"_I _could have, glitch!"_

_Vanellope turned to see the arcade's worst nightmare in his candy-themed getup, smiling wickedly. "You! You monster! What did you do?"_

_"I did what had to be done. My revenge is complete, Vanellope, hoo hoo hoo. But only _half_ complete. Something's still in the way. I can't place what it is, though." Then King Candy glanced down at the princess. "It's _you_, glitch. I can't actually rule an entire arcade with you and your rotten cavities in the way. You're...how should I say...resistant, hoo hoo hoo. You and those little cavity friends of yours." The tyrant moved closer to Vanellope until they were only inches from each other, glitching into Turbo. "But killing only you is enough. And I'll leave _him_ to do that."_

Him_? Vanellope wondered as she heard an all-too familiar voice._

_"And to think I was going to kill Ralph in the end." A still-corrupt Felix stepped out of the shadows, an insane smirk on his face, and bone-white hammer in hand. "The glitch is good enough for me, though. It's sad, though. Killing someone as beautiful as you." The Good Guy eyed Vanellope's body up and down._

This is _not_ Felix at all, _Vanellope realized as she stared up into those cold, crimson eyes, seeing only the desire for destruction and pain in them._

_"As a matter of fact, I _could_ use a little fun before killing you." With that, the handyman unbuttoned his work shirt, then started to unzip his jeans, laughing maniacally._

_"Sweet mother of monkey milk!" Vanellope tried to pull away, but Felix had a strong hold on her._

_"You're not getting away from me, little glitch." The handyman pinned her to the base of the beacon holding Ralph, starting to unzip her hoodie._

Turbo screwed up Hammer Time's code big time!_ Vanellope thought as she was making one final attempt to pull away, but it was no use. Felix was too strong. The princess started to scream..._

Vanellope woke up, glancing around to realize she was still on the train, and breathing a sigh of relief. _It was just a dream. I thought Hammer Time was going to... And that Ralph was..._ That was when she glanced down at the still-unconscious and infected Ralph. He was growing paler and losing his life by the second. Felix's powers had taken their toll on the wrecker. _We should be almost there. I _hope_ we're almost there._ But Vanellope was still cringing from the nightmare, especially the part where the Felix malware had almost... The princess couldn't even think about that. Just thinking about it made her feel sick. Besides, she couldn't imagine Felix doing such a thing, especially when he was already married. It just showed how psychotic and insane Turbo was to even corrupt him. And that was another thing: Vanellope was leaving so many behind at his mercy in Game Central Station, and she felt guilty doing that. But if she'd stayed, she would have gotten herself killed, what with all the add-ons Turbo had applied to himself. And she had had no idea! Turbo was powerful than ever now, and if she wanted to stop him, she had to get Ralph cured first, which (she was hoping) would cure everyone else who was infected. The princess loved the "villain", with all her heart she, despite not telling him yet. And she didn't know what she'd do if she were to lose him.

Suddenly a screech jolted her to her feet.

"Sweet mother of monkey milk! What was that?" Vanellope regained her composure, being careful not to drop Ralph and noticing the train was slowing down to a stop. When it finally stopped, the doors opened, revealing a foreign place which looked parallel to Game Central Station, except with different games from the ones she was used to. Hoisting Ralph on her shoulders, Vanellope disembarked the train, looking around the unfamiliar arcade. Most were games she'd never seen before. "_Mortal Kombat, Tomb Raider, L'Hopital Mysterieux, Seven Seas_... whoa, talk about foreign."

"Hey, look, Bob! New girl!"

"Bub, what did I say about staring?"

Vanellope noticed two diminutive dragons running up to her, excitement on their faces. One was blowing bubbles and blushing. They skidded to a halt.

"Hi!" the green dragon greeted.

"Hi..." the princess replied sheepishly. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Bub, and this is Bob." Bub motioned to the blue dragon next to him.

"So, you new here?" Bob asked.

"Um, I'm a little lost. Do you know where I am?" Vanellope scratched her head.

"You're in Outlet Central!" The two dragons answered in unison. "And we're from _Bubble Bobble_. Over there."

The princess looked in the direction they were pointing at. There, next to _Tomb Raider_, was _Bubble Bobble_ on the far left corner of the arcade. _Outlet Central, huh. If we weren't in the middle of danger by some psycho right now, I'd call this a nice tourism spot._

"Hey, lady. What happened to the big guy?" Bub inquired, glancing up at Ralph. "You two didn't get into a fight, did you?" But then he noticed Ralph's pale features and cringed. "Hey, Bob! You see what I see?"

"Yep." Then Bob regarded Vanellope. "Lady? By any chance, is that guy infected? As in with a virus?"

Vanellope nodded. She needed to get Ralph help right away. She hoped the two dragons knew where to go. "Why? Do you know someone who can help Ralph?"

"Wait a minute! That's..." Bob was staring up at the unconscious wrecker. "That's Wreck-It Ralph! The guy who saved... You're from Game Central Station, aren't you?"

"Yep, and I need to get Ralph somewhere to a hospital game, pronto."

"What happened at Game Central Station?" Bub asked, "We were there two weeks ago, and everything was okay. Wonder what happened?"

"We need to get the big lug over to Billie and Christy first!" Bob urged. "Then you can tell us what happened. We're interested, you know? We love GCS."

"Who are Billie and Christy?" Vanellope inquired.

"They're in _L'Hopital Mysterieux_. They're nurses, you know? And they're really good at what they do. They can help Wreck-It."

Vanellope lit up with hope as she started to follow the two dragons into the hospital game next to _Mortal Kombat,_ trying to support Ralph on her shoulders. The princess felt like she was going to fall over under the wrecker's weight. _Man, Stinkbrain. I forgot how heavy you are. I can't wait for you to recover, you know? No offense. Hopefully whoever these nurses are, they can cure you and probably everyone else who was infected. And then we'll show Turbo who's boss!_

* * *

Vanellope and the dragons entered _L'Hopital Mysterieux_, it was bustling with patients, some in wheelchairs, some on crutches, among others. When they got to the front desk, no one was there.

"Can I help you three?"

Vanellope noticed a blonde young woman with a injection pin at her pocket. She had a nice figure, with her neckline exposed like Vanellope's. Her green eyes then fell on the infected Ralph on the princess's shoulders.

"Or, shall I say, can I help _that_ guy?" The blonde eyed Ralph with interest.

"HEY!" Vanellope backed away quickly. "He's infected, okay?"

"Did you say infected?"

"There you are, Christy." The blonde turned to regard another young woman coming out of what appeared to be the ER. She had auburn hair, carrying a clipboard.

"Billie! We need you back here!" she urged. "We have someone back here who doesn't want to lay still and cooperate, saying that she's okay. Yet she has a sprained arm!"

"We got bigger problems here!" Billie gestured to Ralph, who was starting slip off Vanellope's back. "The big lug over here's infected!"

"I knew it! Bring him back here, then! We need to get a look at him _tout de suite_! Apparently, we've been getting a lot of patients from Game Central Station lately. From last night to now. First the girl from that _Sugar Rush_ who won't lay still, that Satine guy, Princess Zelda, now this big...ape guy here. Come to think of it, he looks kinda like that Wreck-It Ralph I've been hearing about on my visits."

"Um, he _is_ Wreck-It Ralph," said Vanellope. "From _Fix-It Felix, Jr._"

Every nurse in the room started to swoon at the mention of the Good Guy's name.

"So handsome..." one sighed.

"He can fix me anytime," another said.

"Ladies! Back to work!" Christy commanded, being the only sane one in the room.

"Besides, Hammer Time's married," Vanellope put in, smirking.

"Well, that's a let down," Billie huffed. "To whom?"

"Can we get Wreck-It in a room first?" Christy was starting to grow impatient, then regarded Vanellope. "Um..."

"Vanellope. Vanellope von Schweetz," the princess filled in.

"Right...Penelope. Hey! We need a stretcher here! Anyone!"

Suddenly two nurses barged out of another hallway, carting a stretcher over to Christy, who scowled when she realized how small it was.

"Don't we have anything bigger?" Billie asked, pointing at Ralph for emphasis.

"That's the last one, I'm afraid." one of them said, head hung down. "We used the last big one on that Thumbelina or whoever girl earlier."

"Guess it'll have to do then. Thanks, Piper."

When the two nurses left, Billie, Christy, and Vanellope worked together to lift Ralph onto the small stretcher, which was weighed down a little but it didn't entirely break. As they started to wheel the "villain" down the hallway, Vanellope took several glances at him, checking for any sign of movement in him.

_Don't worry, Ralph. We can trust these guys. They'll get you back up and runnin' in no time!_

**Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! I'm glad you all are hooked on this one like the last part! And I'd like to thank Ways for the arcade game ideas she had given me. I promise you, they will be featured later in the story! Look forward to the next chapter and keep those reviews coming! Stay sweet, everyone!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hi, everyone! I had enough time to get my first piece of filler uploaded! Yes, this chapter is somewhat filler, as like the previous installment I'll have some (but not a lot this time) filler throughout. This one is one of them. It'll be a setup for the next chap, but I applied it well.**

**Disclaimer: You all should know by now. And only Sonia, Lucia, and the nurses are mine.**

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 2**

"You haven't found those fools yet?" Turbo growled, met by several of the soldiers at the beacon at the fortress top in _Hero's Duty_, with Kohut among them.

"No, sir," Kohut replied, "Wherever they're hiding, they're doing a pretty damn good job."

"Yeah," another soldier added, "We've turned the whole GCS upside down looking for them."

"What do I pay you idiots for?" Turbo was growing agitated. "Does it take that long to find one glitch and a warthog?"

"Sir, I..."

"You know what? Get out! Obviously I was wrong in sending someone like you to find those little..."

"I can find them for you, if you'd like, Turbo."

Turbo glanced around to see Rancis, whose red-rimmed gaze bore into his. The ex-racer sneered at this, proud of his add-on ability of data corruption, which led to several others falling under his control. Tails, a few of the Koopas and Goombas, Vyse, and many more were at the mercy of their new king. And Turbo/King Candy was enjoying every minute of it. He enjoyed corrupting Rancis, most of all because of his feelings for Vanellope and the fact that she loved Ralph more than him. That last part alone had done it for the peanut butter cup racer, as he slipped under in no time flat afterwards.

"Rancis? I know you're eager, but I need you to stay here in case the glitch and Wreck-It Ralph come back to kill me. You're trusted to be my muscle. Besides, don't you love you precious Vanellope more than anything?"

"I do, sir," the peanut butter cup racer nodded, "Which is why _I _want to look for her, but I don't want to kill her. Wreck-It, however, is another story. He's the only one standing between Vanellope and I."

"And as long as he's alive, hoo hoo hoo..."

"We can't be together. And that's why I want to take care of him. I want him to die as painfully as possible. Then Vanellope will be my princess. And only mine."

"Sir!"

"What is it now?" Turbo, glitching into his candy-themed getup, turned to regard three Koopas, a Goomba, and Amy Rose at the door, dragging in what looked like the Surge Protector, a Hammer Bro., and a struggling Bowser Jr.

"We found them talking somewhere near _Sonic the Hedgehog_," informed Amy, smirking. "And we heard something valuable. Something you might like to hear."

"Is it about where those two are?"

"No! It's not!" Jr. was panicking under the Koopas' grip.

"Shut up, man!" Hammer Bro. urged.

"The brat's lying, sir," the Goomba said. "They know something. Or shall I say, _he_ knows something." The creature nodded to the Surge Protector, who, for the very first time, felt fear creep up on him at the sight of Turbo (despite his being in his King Candy persona). The tyrant was standing over the hologram, a maniacal smirk crossing his face.

"So tell me," he began, "Where are Vanellope and Ralph?"

"I don't know," the Surge Protector lied, trembling.

"Yeah," the Hammer Bro. agreed. "He doesn't know. Now please let us go!"

Turbo's fist crackled with dark energy, releasing it on the hammer-toting Koopa and killing it instantly.

"What the...?" Bowser Jr. gasped.

"The same thing can happen to you, you know?" the evil racer sneered at Bowser's son, then regarded the Surge Protector again. "Now I'm going to ask you again. Where are those two? And I know you know something, so lying will cost you that brat's life and yours." He raised a crackling fist up to Surge to prove his point, moving it closer to him. "You _will_ talk. And even if I _do_ kill you, someone else will know where they are, or even better, I'll find them eventually."

"Then you can kill us! I don't care!" Jr. snapped. "We ain't tellin' you nothing!"

Turbo was growing tired of the Koopa Kid's defiance. He fired a stream of energy at Jr., also sending him to an early grave. Surge wanted nothing but for all of this to be just a huge nightmare. But it was real. Turbo's control over Game Central Station, the pain, suffering, and death, especially of those two. Everything. It was all real. And he was going to add to the count if he didn't tell Turbo what he needed to know.

"Now, tell me what I need to know!" The ex-racer growled, both hands amplified by the dark energy, as he moved closer to the Surge Protector.

"Okay, okay! I'll talk! Princess von Schweetz and Wreck-It Ralph are in Outlet Central!"

"Outlet Central?" Amy repeated.

"Whoa. Another arcade?" The Koopas and Goombas were murmuring among themselves about the sudden mention of another arcade.

But Turbo knew exactly what the Surge Protector was talking about. He'd heard of Outlet Central before, even took Sonia there once during their '80s days. There were characters of games there even Sonia hadn't heard of. Many had probably been unplugged between then and now, so who knew what games were there. But one thing was certain: Vanellope and Ralph could be in any one of the games in Outlet Central, hiding among its residents, which would make them difficult to find. Glancing over at Rancis, however, gave Turbo an idea, seeing as the peanut butter cup racer cared about Vanellope too much. And that he'd made it clear that he'd take care of Ralph to secure the princess's heart. Rancis wouldn't kill her, though, but that didn't matter to the tyrant. As long as they were brought back to him, he was content. He'd do the killing himself, not giving a damn whether or not Rancis killed either or both or how much the racer felt for the little glitch who had humiliated him. And even though they _were_ possibly hiding among Outlet Central residents, Rancis would find them, considering how the racer could probably seek Vanellope out even in a crowd (especially when they were outsiders). That much Turbo was certain. He knew that Rancis would be perfect to send after them.

"How do I get to this Outlet Central?" the peanut butter cup racer asked.

"WHAT?" Amy, the Koopas, and the Goomba blurted out in unison.

"You're sending HIM?" The pink hedgehog pointed at Rancis.

"Is there a problem?" Turbo countered.

The corrupt hedgehog and Mario foes froze at that statement, then shook their heads.

"Didn't think so. Now dispose of those bodies and lock that ghost up!" Then Turbo regarded Rancis, who seemed ready. "Better yet, leave the Surge Protector here. Rancis is going to need an escort to Outlet Central tonight." _You can't hide from me forever, glitch, hoo hoo hoo. You and that warthog may have gotten away from me once, but I promise you you won't this time._

**Yep, he got to Rancis too. In between this fic and the previous one. Some of you may probably have a guess where/what it might lead to later. Curious? Look forward to the next chapter! Read and REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter! And as always, thank you so much for all your reviews and support! Seriously, much appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wreck-It Ralph! I only own Sonia, Lucia, and the nurses.**

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 3**

Vanellope woke up sluggishly the next morning, still tired from the escape and having to rush Ralph to _L'Hopital Mysterieux_ last night. Bub and Bob had set her up for a room in the Irish tavern game _Barmaid Bella_, where the eponymous owner was kind enough, but when dealing with customers on a daily basis, she could get a shortfuse. But her job was a little bit easier with Tapper helping her out, the bar owner being one of the escapees from Game Central Station, where many of the other game characters, including Calhoun, Taffyta, and even Rancis and Candlehead were still in Turbo's clutches. She and Ralph had barely escaped, but the latter had been brutally hurt by the corrupt Felix. That fight had been a serious deathmatch, where the Good Guy had tortured Ralph to no end. The pit had been filled with boos, hisses, and gasps of pure horror as it had played on. King Candy/Turbo, however, had been enjoying the show. The very memory of that horrifying spectacle enraged Vanellope. She would not have thought the demented ex-racer would go that far. Far to the point of turning Ralph's (near) death into a show. And she couldn't help but wonder where Felix had run off to after he'd remembered himself while in the process of killing the "villain." The princess felt bad for the Good Guy and didn't blame him for running away in total regret. Her heart was also filled with worry for the others who were still imprisoned in the Turbo-conquered _Hero's Duty_. What was the tyrant going to do to them? Enslave them? Torture them? Just imagining such things built up her fear even more. Vanellope couldn't think about any of it. She wouldn't. All that mattered was coming up with a plan to save them and free the arcade. Turbo had to be stopped. That, more than anything, was top priority. Vanellope wasn't going to let him get away with all the deaths and near-deaths he'd caused, one of the latter being Ralph, who was currently under the care of the French nurses Billie and Christy from the hospital game. The princess had begged to spend the night there, but they had insisted the room was clear while they worked. They claimed to be quite skilled at what they did, especially during gameplay, where they had to inject patients as they came in (after examining the right spot, that is).

Now Vanellope was awaiting the results. Was Ralph going to live, or had Turbo gotten his revenge? The anxiety was growing in Vanellope's chest just thinking about it. Suddenly dizziness hit her. The princess was growing lightheaded and nauseous. She hurried over to the small bathroom not far from her bed, emptying what little contents that were in her. For some reason, she didn't feel so good. Vanellope laid back in her bed, trying to calm herself down.

_C'mon, Vanellope. Calm down. Everyone's going to be fine. Ralph will pull through, we'll take back our arcade, and we'll kick Turbo's butt. But you can't do any of that if you worry so much. Not good for you, by the way._

Then a knock was heard on the door.

"Come in."

"Morning," Bella opened the door, then noticed Vanellope staring up at the ceiling. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Vanellope shot up, forcing a smile on her face. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to let you know you have a friend." The tavern proprietor stepped aside, allowing a colorful-clad woman enter. Her equally-vibrant afro was prominent in her features, which was when Vanellope recognized her right away.

"Snow?"

"Hey, Pres.!" Snowanna pulled Vanellope into a hug. They had missed each other so much, not having seen each other since the Cy-Bug/Felix attack. The sherbet racer, like Tapper, had escaped as well, along with possible others from Game Central Station Vanellope hadn't seen yet. But the princess was happy to see her best friend was alive and well.

"I thought I'd never see you again! Anyone else escaped besides you?"

"Yep. Just a handful, though. Minty, Jubileena, the two doughnut cops, Bill... they're all in this game called _Royal Diner_ getting a bite to eat. I told them that I'd meet them there as soon as I found you. Do you even know how happy I was last night when I heard you were here? Those nurses in that hospital game were going on and on about Wreck-It and stuff when we were with Adorabeezle and Crumbs. Wow, they must have a thing for him, Vanellope."

"Yeah, I kinda got that when they were going on about Hammer Time too. But everybody made it out! That's great!"

"Most of us. Some got eaten or captured. Torvald, Citrusella, Nougestia, Sticky, Princess Mushrooms... Yep, either dead or in King Psycho's hands. And as for a few of the ones who did make it here... well, Adorabeezle got a broken arm (and won't lay still) and Crumbs is suffering a small concussion from Fix-It."

"I hope they'll be fine," Vanellope said.

"They will be, don't worry. But what about Wreck-It?"

The princess looked down at the floor, not wanting to discuss it. But she trusted Snowanna with anything. Snow was her best friend, after all.

"It must be really bad, huh?" The sherbet racer guessed, then noticed Vanellope suddenly breaking into tears, sinking down on her bed. "You don't have to tell me now, you know? It's okay. And from how upset you are, I know it's way worse than theirs. You want to talk about it over breakfast then? Maybe it'll cheer you up. And you know you can tell me anything, Pres. Okay?"

Vanellope nodded. "Yeah. And I am a little hungry." Then she heard her stomach growl. "Okay, not just a little. Plus, I'd love to meet up with everyone." The princess put on another smile, trying to be more upbeat again as she and Snowanna left the room, the former locking the door behind them. Then the nausea returned, sending Vanellope into another wave of dizziness as she grabbed her best friend's shoulder to support herself.

"Are you okay, Pres.?" Snow asked, catching Vanellope before she collapsed.

"I'm fine."

"You sure? We can stop by the..."

"I'm fine, Snow," Vanellope insisted, slight agitation in her tone.

Snowanna raised an eyebrow at the princess's sudden attitude. "Whoa, a bit snippy there, are we?"

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to almost snap there. I just need to get something to eat as soon as possible. I could sure use some pancakes or ice cream topped with a buttload of chocolate and whipped cream. If they have that, that is. Not to mention some strawberries with vanilla topping. That'd be great."

"Uh...isn't that a lot?"

"Not for me. Now let's go!" Wrenching from Snowanna's support, Vanellope happily started downstairs, humming an optimistic-sounding tune, which left the sherbet racer confused as to what the hell was going on with her president.

_Something is definitely up with that girl. Going from depressed, to nauseous, to snappy, to downright jolly in a matter of SECONDS? Vanellope's starting to scare the bejeezus outta me already. Is she trying to push away her worry for Wreck-It, who's probably in worse condition than Adorbs and Crumbs? Or is it...something else? _

* * *

It didn't take Vanellope and Snowanna long to get to _Royal Diner_, which was a restaurant-themed game. It was packed inside, every table occupied with characters.

"What brings you lovely ladies here?" An auburn-haired young man skated up to them. "Unfortunately, we're kinda full right now."

"They can sit with us."

Vanellope and Snow glanced over the man's shoulder to see the familiar faces of Minty Zaki, Jubileena, Wynnchel and Duncan, and Sour Bill, Minty waving them over.

"Minty! Jubileena!" The princess hurried over to them, overjoyed to see them.

"You guys know her?" the man asked.

"Duh," Jubileena rolled her eyes, "She's our princess...or president, Vanellope von Schweetz."

"We're all from _Sugar Rush_, Game Central Station," Wynnchel added.

The young man chuckled. "It's always nice to see such ladies like you to come in." He smiled, taking Vanellope's hand to kiss it. "Especially you, Penelope."

"Julian! You got other customers to help besides the ladies, you know?" A girl skated toward him, annoyed.

"Sis, I _am_ helping. Geez." Julian skated off, after winking at Vanellope and the other racers.

"He likes you, Pres," Jubileena pointed out.

"We can see that," Duncan agreed, "Must be a real ladies' man here. How come _we_ can't have any luck, Wynnchel?"

"Must be because we're food," said Wynnchel. "Literally. One of those _Mortal Kombat_ guys wanted to eat me earlier. Horrible. And no respect."

"Sorry about my brother, guys." The girl gave an apologetic smile. "He loves charming the ladies. So you aren't from here, huh?"

"Nope," Minty Zaki shook her head. "We're kinda from another arcade."

"Which one?"

"Litwak's Arcade," Snowanna chimed in, "Game Central Station."

"I saw a whole bunch of you guys from the train last night when our arcade closed. For the week, I might add. Mr. and Mrs. McAllister, the owners, they're on a cruise. 23rd wedding anniversary too. So happy for them."

"Our owner's on a cruise for another week," Jubileena said.

"Reilly, you'd better be taking orders too!" called a woman behind the counter. She had dark hair like the waitress named Reilly, her posture screaming impatience.

"Anyway, what can I get from the newcomers here?" Reilly regarded Vanellope, who was starting to feel lightheaded again all of a sudden, and Snowanna.

"Just a slice of apple pie for me," the sherbet racer responded, then glanced at the princess.

"Something wrong?" Reilly asked Vanellope.

"Just starving." Closing the menu, Vanellope regarded the waitress. "Can I have some pancakes with vanilla ice cream topped with a buttload of chocolate syrup and vanilla-covered strawberries? And a side of whipped cream too?"

The other _Sugar Rush_ racers, Wynnchel, and Duncan raised eyebrows at Vanellope's odd choice. Even Sour Bill (who was usually emotionless) was taken aback, along with Reilly.

"I'll...put that in for you, then." The waitress, confused, took the strange order nonetheless. "And I'm Reilly, by the way. _Princess _Reilly. Welcome to Outlet Central. I'll be back, okay?"

When the waitress skated off, the others stared at Vanellope, puzzled.

"That's a lot of cream you ordered, Pres," said Minty. "You must be really hungry."

"That probably explains how Vanellope got such lovely..you know." Jubileena indicated the princess's breasts with a blush. "Ours can't even compare to yours, Vanellope. Look at Minty. Flat as a board."

"Bite your tongue, Cherry Bomb. Nowadays guys like girls with no chest, thank you. Even you-know-who probably."

"Ewwww." The girls said in unison with disgust.

"Seriously, Minty?" Snowanna shook her head. "You had to bring Turbo-egotistic into this conversation? And speaking of the devil, I can't wait to take back our arcade from that psycho."

"I'll drink to that," Jubileena held up her milk.

"But changing the subject..." Minty regarded Vanellope, who was feeling dizzier than before. "How's Wreck-It?"

"Ralph?" the princess repeated.

"Are you okay, Pres.?" Snowanna asked, more concerned this time.

"Yeah, I'm probably just..." Suddenly Vanellope fainted.

"Pres.!"

"Princess!" Sour Bill ran over to her side.

"Vanellope!"

"We need to get her to those nurses!" Snowanna urged.

"What's wrong with her?" Minty asked.

"I have no idea! Which is why we need to hurry!"

"And we can check up on Adorabeezle and Crumbs while we're there too," Jubileena said.

"Yeah, those two took the most beatings outta that crazy Fix-It," Wynnchel said, then turned to Duncan. "Pay the bill and get the princess's food to go."

"Why do I have to?" the shorter cop complained.

"This is the princess we're talking about and you're whining?"

Duncan sighed, staying behind to wait for Vanellope's order. In a way, his partner was right. This was for their ruler. And they had to take care and protect her everyday. The fact that they were out of Game Central Station right now was no different.

"Guys, can we hurry?" Snow hoisted Vanellope on her shoulders. "I don't have Hercules strength like Rancis, so come on!"

**Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Again, thank you so very much for your support on the last chapter! I really appreciate it. And it's quite obvious (or not) what's wrong with Vanellope from this chapter alone. If you're dying to know more, follow, fave, REVIEW! I'd love to hear your opinions on this one! Ideas and crit are also encouraged.**


	5. Chapter 4

**I'm bringing the next chapter to you a few days early, as I'll be busy this weekend and such. Thank you so much for the reviews (though there were only a few). Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wreck-It Ralph! I only own Sonia, Lucia, and the nurses.**

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 4**

Felix was staring at his glaring reflection in the mirror with fear. He thought he didn't have to worry about his corrupt self again, but here it was, as his reflection and mirror image, crimson eyes piercing into the real Felix's blue ones. The Good Guy slowly stepped back, then turned his back.

_Don't turn your back on me! Or what you have always been destined to do. And we would've succeeded if you hadn't run away. The arcade would've been ours!_

"What are you talking about? Don't you mean Turbo?"

_No, you fool!_ Malware Felix laughed dryly. _I never liked working for that idiot! I had my own reasons for killing Wreck-It Ralph, and of course the arcade was a huge reason. Also, because I didn't want that ape getting in my way. And then there's that glitch and her of cavities... You know, she could sure put up a fight, what with that upgrade. And your precious Tammy needs no introduction. But now we have a second chance. We can take over Game Central Station together (Of course, Turbo needs to be out of the picture first). We just have to go back to _Hero's Duty_ and destroy that candy-coated thorn in the side. And if Ralph, the glitch, or anyone else gets in our way, they'll be just as dead._

"No..." Felix said faintly.

_What did you just say?_

"I won't kill anyone else. Especially not Ralph, Tammy, or Vanellope. Nor will I let you hurt them." The handyman wasn't going to let his infected side take over again, which was the entire reason he had holed himself in his own game, where it was empty and free of strays hanging around. Characters were either captured, killed, or had run away. All because of him, and he was already in deep regret from the many deaths he'd caused. Felix wasn't going to have a continuation of it. He'd rather have died than allow it again. But when he turned back to his corrupt reflection, the sneer claimed otherwise.

"Really..." The virus chuckled. "Well, I guess I'll have to take it over on my own. By taking over you by force, of course."

"No! You can't!" Felix backed away from his malware self, starting to run out of the room. _I need to find the code room! Maybe if I can delete him..._

...

Felix took the elevator down to the code room and quickly punched in the code. The vault slowly opened, revealing the many panels of codes. Then he noticed his tainted panel in the center, next to Ralph's flickering panel. But just as he was ready to jump in and try to undo Turbo's damage...

_You do understand I'm you, or at least a part of you._

"What?" The Good Guy glanced around, seeing nothing.

"Down here, you fool."

Felix glanced down, noticing his shadow...which was talking just like his reflection!

"Oh my..."

_Lands? I'd say so, especially when you know it's useless to try to run from me. As I just said, I'm a part of you. And as for you trying to delete me, you can't. Not without deleting yourself._ Malware Felix chuckled darkly.

"I don't want to be you again!" The handyman clutched his head, covering his ears. "Just leave! Please!"

_I'm afraid I can't. I need your body, Felix. And you _will_ give it to me!_ With that, the shadow moved up the handyman's body, causing the Good Guy to scream as will was starting to slip away and the monster inside was starting to take over again. He was going to become a virus again, and this time, everybody, including Turbo, was on his menu.

**Pretty deep and dark chapter, huh? More to come later! Again, I appreciate the support! Keep those reviews coming. And Happy Early Easter, everyone!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi, everyone! Hope you all enjoyed Easter! And may I say, I must have quite a few who's really hungry for more, so here I am with the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wreck-It Ralph!**

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 5**

"Is she gonna be okay?" a voice was heard faintly as Vanellope struggled to open her eyes.

"Wh-Where am I?" the princess wondered.

"Thank goodness! She's okay!"

"Huh? What the heck's going on?" Vanellope opened her eyes to see that she was in _L'Hopital Mysterieux_. The princess glanced over to notice Snowanna at her side, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You sure had me worried there, girl. Oh, and here's your breakfast." The sherbet racer handed Vanellope a styrofoam box. "Got what you ordered in take-out."

"Thanks, Snow. I'm starving." Vanellope opened the box, revealing the ice cream and chocolate-topped pancakes. There were also vanilla-topped strawberries and whipped cream on the side, just as the princess ordered. She started to dig in, greedily savoring the sugary taste, which was unusual for her. She'd never been so hungry before.

"Princess Vanellope." Billie came into the room, noticing the _Sugar Rush_ ruler chowing down. Unlike her best friend and partner Christy, she found the sight a bit unattractive, especially for one who was supposed to be sick. "Someone's...famished. Anyway, Christy and I found out the reason behing your fainting spells and mood swings. We were running some tests on you while you were out, and..."

"Just get to the point already!" Vanellope cut her off, impatient.

"Okay, okay. Hasty, are we." Billie tossed her blond hair over her shoulders . She tried to maintain a poker face as the next words left her mouth. "Vanellope, you're pregnant."

This caused Snowanna to almost fall out of her chair. "Pres? Really?"

"Machines don't lie, sweetheart," Billie confirmed. "Princess von Schweetz is indeed pregnant."

"How? And I haven't had sex before." Vanellope was confused.

"You don't necessarily have to have actual sex. Your feelings could just be strong for a certain someone, and vice versa."

"Well, I've been comforting Ralph quite a bit back in Game Central Station. And then there was that time on the train here. But we haven't had any sex or anything like that."

"No, but your codes may have merged through your strong feelings for each other, causing you to conceive."

"So...?"

"Wreck-It Ralph must care about you just as much as you do for him, and his code intermingled with yours. I don't know if this happens between humans in the real world, but... are you okay?" The blonde nurse noticed Vanellope trying to get out of bed, having finished her breakfast. She was struggling, though.

"Easy, Pres," Snowanna supported.

"I just want to see," the princess insisted as she carefully stood up and headed to the nearby mirror in the corner, where she pulled up her shirt. There, Vanellope noticed her still-flat stomach, but saw the slightest bulge in it. The princess placed a hand over it, confirming Billie's comments. She couldn't believe it. Vanellope was going to be a mother, and if they weren't in the middle of a crisis right now (far as trying to take back Game Central Station from Turbo's clutches were concerned), she would've been excited, which she was but now she'd be in a vulnerable postion. Plus, she didn't know the first thing about being a mother, but she knew she'd have plenty of time for that after they put an end to Turbo (permanently this time).

"Let me guess, we're not telling Wreck-It about this," Snowanna approached her.

"That's kinda the plan, Snow. For right now. How's _is _Ralph, anyway?"

"He's still out of it, I'm afraid," Billie replied. "Christy and I are trying our best to purify Ralph's code. It's taking insanely long, though. But what can you expect when someone gets infected?" The nurse then regarded Snowanna. "But the two you brought in earlier last night are okay. One, we had to put her arm in a sling, and the other we need to keep a little while longer because of a mild concussion. And as for you, Princess, we'd like for you to stay for at least another two hours. We need to run a couple more tests, you know? But you'll be outta here by the end of the day most definitely, okay?"

"Right." Vanellope nodded.

"I'm gonna go check on Adorabeezle and Crumbs," Snowanna started to leave. "See you later, Pres?"

"You bet. And tell them I said hi and get well and stuff."

"Sure."

"I'll be stepping out too." Billie smiled. "I'll be back in a few."

When both girls were gone, Vanellope returned to her bed, taking in a deep breath, then blushed, somewhat excited.

_Sweet mother of monkey milk! I'm actually carrying Stinkbrain's kid! I can't believe it. I think I'm gonna vurp just thinking about it. But I wonder how Ralph's gonna handle the news when he comes to? Not that I should tell him just yet._

...

"I hope he makes it, Deanna," Mary said. The two Nicelanders were watching over the unconscious Ralph, praying that their favorite Bad Guy would pull through. They didn't want to imagine what _Fix-It Felix Jr._ would be without him. This was worse than Ralph's "going Turbo" escapade. The wrecker was between life and death, and infected on top of that.

"I never thought our Felix would do something this...cruel." Deanna was staring somberly at Ralph, tears in her eyes. "Of course, that Turbo scoundrel made him that way, and we couldn't do anything to restore it."

"Felix's code was too tainted for us to do anything."

"How is he, you two?" Gene entered the room, with Christy behind him. She was carrying a tray of injection pens. "How many more are you going to put into him?"

"Look, Wreck-It Ralph is quite...overly built for a man, okay?" the auburn-haired nurse snapped. "So it's gonna take at least a dozen of these to rid the big guy of the virus. You'd just better be glad your Fix-It "hero's" ability's like any other virus. Otherwise, you'd be out of luck. _N'a pas de chance!_ Now, I need you three dwarves outta here. _Maintenant, s'il vous plait._"

"You can do it, Ralph." Deanna, along with Mary, left the room.

But Gene stayed for a few more minutes, staring at the still-lifeless form of Ralph. The one he'd treated miserably his entire life, even after the Turbo incident. Despite Ralph having saved Game Central Station from said tyrant, Gene had still continued his cynical insults, having still seen him as a bad guy. But now that the wrecker was hanging onto life by a thread, the Niceland mayor regretting everything. All the grief he'd given Ralph was coming back to haunt him.

"I know I've always hated and doubted you, Ralph," Gene said, "Insulting you, judging you, belittling you. And for what? All because you're a bad guy who wrecks the building. But seeing you now, lingering between life and death, I'm starting to realize your 'going Turbo' has made me start to believe in you more. Let it not be said that I hope you pull through this, because if not, who's going to wreck our parties or anything so Felix can fix it (wherever he is right now). And someone needs to stop that maniac and get back the arcade. So again, I hope you recover, Ralph, because if you don't, well..." The Niceland mayor turned to leave. "I'm sorry for everything I've said, and the way I've been treating you."

**Don't forget to review! Stay sweet!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hi, everyone! I know the last chapter sparked some interest, and will hint at some romance later on! I will NOT spoil it, however.**

**Disclaimer: Refer back to the previous chapters. All OCs, though, are mine. **

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 6**

"I wonder where Vanellope is now?" Candlehead slumped back against the corner of the cell. "I hope she and Wreck-It hadn't forgotten about us."

"They haven't, Candlehead," Taffyta assured her. "Vanellope wouldn't leave us to die at the hands of Turbo-maniac. She's coming back, I know it. 'Cause there's no way I'm gonna become one of his mindless pod slaves."

"You and-a me a-both," Mario agreed, approaching the two women. "Wherever they are, they're a-safe."

"Along with everyone else who managed to get away." Taffyta then grunted, swinging her lollipop weapon playfully and almost accidentally hitting the plumber. "I hate not being able to do anything! I wish there was something we could do to get outta here! Plus, the bars are electric-charged, which doesn't help any."

"Yeah," Candlehead nodded, "And Mario and I tried melting them and got a nasty shock from it too."

"That asshole's _too_ smart," Calhoun put in. She, Markowski, Luigi, Gloyd, and Swizzle were in the cell across from the trio. "How did he know how to...?"

"Who cares how? The bottom line is none of us is getting outta here!" Gloyd said, frustration building in his voice. "I'm glad Pres. got away when she did with Wreck-It, 'cause if King Pain-In-The-Ass or Fix-It had killed her, we'd been next, lining up right in front of him and waiting for our game over."

"Dude, you are _so_ not helping." Swizzle shook his head.

"The kid's right," Markowski agreed, "Can we think positive here?"

"I am," Gloyd countered, "That he's gonna kill us quickly and get it over with."

"And how are my jailbirds doing?" King Candy/Turbo entered the corridor, glancing over the rows of cells containing the prisoners.

"How many times has he come in here?" Taffyta groaned. "And what does he want now?"

"What are you here for, Turbo-drastic?" It was King Dedede who demanded from one of the end cells. "'Cause you ain't 'bout to brainwash _this_ king!"

"I'm not here to brainwash a pea brain like you, don't worry." Turbo sneered. "I have someone else in mind, hoo hoo hoo." The ex-racer then glitched to his pale persona, yellow eyes falling on the cell with Calhoun, Markowski, Luigi, and the two racers.

"He wouldn't dare," Swizzle whispered, slight fear in his voice, but he mustered up as much bravery as he could.

"Leave them alone!" Taffyta shouted from the other cell, dread in her chest at the very thought of her fellow racers falling under the tyrant's influence. She couldn't bear to imagine it, but with the electrified bars, the strawberry racer couldn't do anything."

"And what will you do from behind bars, Taffyta? It breaks my heart that you hate me now, after all the respect you showed me in our game. You were my favorite, Taffyta."

"The keyword being _were_. You're disgusting. And sick."

"And twisted too," Candlehead added.

"I'll take all of those as compliments, hoo hoo hoo." Turbo said, "Which is why I'm not interested in either of you as a pet. I already have recruits in mind."

"Over our dead bodies, King Jerkass!" Gloyd spat.

"Yeah, I'd rather die than work for Your Royal Craziness," agreed Swizzle.

"I knew you'd object, hoo hoo hoo," Turbo laughed lightly, then his yellow eyes skewering into theirs, making him more intimidating. "Unfortunately, you cavities don't have a choice."

"If you're going to brainwash someone, hire those two idiots down there," Gloyd pointed to a cell containing the Warios and a group of Boos, but Turbo knew the pumpkin racer was being elusive.

"I don't need pea brains, I told you already. That garlic-riddled thief and his friend can die in there, for all I care. Now..." With that, the ex-racer punched in a code on the pad next to the group's cell. "We're wasting time. Come."

Nodding, Gloyd stepped out of the cell, along with Swizzle...then punched Turbo square in the gut, followed by a swift kick between the legs. The other prisoners cheered.

"You go, Pumpkin Kid!"

"Run for your life!"

"Hmmm...I didn't know the kid had it in him," Calhoun smirked, looking over at the damage Gloyd caused to Turbo.

"We don't have time, Sarge! Let's go!" Markowski urged, grabbing Luigi and bolting out of the cell. Calhoun followed, then Swizzle and finally Gloyd. They only had a few moments before Turbo recovered...and to escape.

"Wait! We gotta get Taffyta out!" Luigi turned back to the strawberry racer's cell.

"You guys don't have time! Go!" she shouted.

"Yeah," Candlehead agreed. "Find Wreck-It and Vanellope!"

"But..." The green plumber glanced at Mario, who nodded. "Bro..."

"You a-gotta go, Luigi!"

"C'mon, Green! No time to lose!" Markowski grabbed the younger Mario again, dragging him out of the corridor.

"Where to, Sarge?" Gloyd inquired.

"Let's focus on getting out of here first!" Calhoun replied. "Then we'll figure it out from there!"

...

"That should do it." The corrupt Felix was connecting the last of the add-ons to his panel. Ever since he had taken over the good Felix, he'd been at work, applying all the add-ons he could find to his panel. Now he was even more powerful than before, even powerful than Turbo, he believed. Felix even corrupted the codes of any remaining Nicelanders or bonus level creatures that were left behind, making them his minions. Of course, his new data corruption ability had no effect on the ones who were outside the game, which meant there were some who could undo everything and foil his plans. But he was going to have this room guarded. When the corrupt Good Guy was done, he left the code room, locking it behind him.

"Roy! Mel!" he called.

Two Nicelanders were in the room inn no time flat, crimson gazes on their master.

"Yes, Felix?" Roy bowed in respect, which the handyman was going to grow to enjoy later.

"I see you're learning already to respect me, Roy." Felix sneered. "Now, I need you two to guard this room. I know Gene and some of the others weren't affected, so there's no question they'll try to break in here. Make sure nobody does."

"I understand," Mel nodded.

"Good." Felix left the two Nicelanders to their task. _Now off to a certain game called _Hero's Duty_. I'm pretty sure a few things and a certain someone who needs "fixing."_

**Hope you enjoyed! I'll probably have updates every two to four days now. Look forward and don't forget to review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Sorry this chapter's late! And I've been noticing that there are quite a few of you who have started following/ favoriting or are just following, but you aren't leaving a review. I know there have been half of you who have and are regularly doing all three, and I give you my utmost thanks. But sometimes for the ones who are just faving/following, please I'd love to hear your input on this fic too. A "I like this" or an "This is good" can make a writer's day. In any case, I'm very grateful that you've just taken the time to read my fic. But sometimes a fave/follow isn't enough. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wreck-It Ralph! I only own Sonia, Lucia, and the nurses.**

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 7**

The next morning, Vanellope decided to explore Outlet Central, glancing at all the other games. _Dig Dug_, which used to be in Game Central Station, _Mortal Kombat_, where two masked creatures were just outside the port chatting. She was in the middle of her mini-sightseeing until she felt something hard bump into her.

"Excuse you," she spat.

"Arrgh! Excuse yourself, lassie. Ye be standin' in our path."

"Whoa..." Vanellope looked up to end up face-to-face with three men, one was a little thin and somewhat looked awkward from the other two, one of whom were muscled and covered with tattoos and the other bearded and clad in black pirate attire.

"What be the matter, lass? Never seen pirates before?" the man in the uniform, possibly the captain, stared at the princess intently.

"I think she's so distraught by your good looks that she's at a loss for words, captain." The thin man with the bandanna guessed.

"Wow, young lassie's in love with ye, cap'n," the muscled man chuckled.

"Shut yer traps!" The captain barked. "This lass is not in love with the likes o' me. Look at her. She's hardly me type. And she's not from this end."

Vanellope rolled her eyes, bored with the three pirates already. "Who are you...pirates?"

"Who are we?" The first mate repeated. "Such disrespect to the captain. You should walk the plank for that!"

"Arrgh! Shut it, Lynch!" the captain growled. "The little lass asked a question. Where be the harm in that?" He then regarded Vanellope, smiling a toothy smile. "I be Captain Silverman, third captain of the galleon _Theodora_. And these're me crew. Lynch, me first mate, and Gideon, helmsman. So what be yer name, lassie?"

"President Vanellope von Schweetz," Vanellope replied, eyeing the three pirates, who were staring down at her with interest and making her a little uneasy. _I hope they know I'm already in love._

"So where ye be from?"

"_Sugar Rush_, Game Central Station."

"You mean ol' Litwak's?"

Vanellope nodded.

"How's the ol' seadog?"

"On a vacation for another week. Wait, how do you..."

"Know Litwak?" Silverman finished, then chuckled. "Lass, _Seven Seas_ used to be there. Around the eighties, I recall. Along with ol' Fix-It and that half-wit speedster Turbo. How're they, by the way?"

"Not too good, actually." _These pirates sure are nosy, but what can I say? They must've been real good friends of Hammer Time and that psycho._

"Sorry to hear that, darling," Gideon interjected with empathy. "Come to think of it, I've been seeing a lot of you Game Central Station guys around. Just saw Tapper at Bella's. Wonder what happened?"

"Yeah," Lynch added, "And we heard that Wreck-It Ralph is with Billie and Christy. Oh, those gals..." The first mate sighed, lost in a daydream of the two nurses. "Anyway, did something happen in Game Central Station, Miss von Schweetz?"

"Well, kinda," the princess said uneasily. _Vanellope! What the heck are you doing? We can't get others involved in this! But a lot of people saw or heard about Ralph in bad shape, so they probably know something's up back in our arcade._ "It was Turbo, actually. He set up this fight between Ralph and Hammer Time, and..."

"Did you just say Turbo?" Silverman cut her off.

"Yeah, why? Don't tell me you guys were friends with the guy!"

"Are your ears filled with muttonfudge, lass? I hated that gloating profiteer! Always showboating after winning! He even got our game unplugged. Nobody wanted to plunder treasure anymore after _Turbo Time_ was plugged in! And that import game didn't help either. The lassies in that game were quite fetchin', though."

_Lucia and Sonia,_ Vanellope realized. _They _were_ popular back then. But I couldn't imagine pirates falling for them. Good thing, though, is that these guys got something against Turbo. Wonder what it is?_

"We even plundered _Turbo Time_ a few times before it got unplugged," Silverman continued. Grabbed us some gold, gold, and more gold. Every time Turbo won, we came back for more."

"We even stole from those twins a few times, cap'n," Gideon interjected, "Should've seen the look on their faces there."

"Pity that _Turbo Time_ got unplugged," Lynch shrugged.

"The bastard deserved it, Lynch!" Silverman growled, then turned back to Vanellope. "Forgive me first mate. He's a bit sympathetic. Anyway, a lovely young lass like ye shouldn't be wandering by herself, especially when ye don't know up from down in this place. And ye look a wee bit tired, Vanellope."

_Not lying there._ The princess took in a deep breath, already a little weak, even though she'd just woken up an hour ago. She blamed her being pregnant for that. Then she heard her stomach growl. _No wonder._

"Vanellope!"

Vanellope turned her attention from the pirates to see Snowanna running up to her from _Barmaid Bella_.

"Hey, I didn't find you in your room, so I..." The sherbet racer's attention suddenly fell on the pirates. "Who are these guys?"

"This be your friend, I take it, Vanellope?" Silverman inquired.

"Yeah," the princess smiled. "Snowanna."

"Um, hi?" Snow waved, a little uneasy around the three seamen.

"Another one from _Sugar Rush_?" Gideon asked.

"Looks like it," agreed Lynch, then eyed Snowanna up and down. "And she's a cute one at that."

"Excuse me." The sherbet racer quickly backed away, then regarded Vanellope. "Hey, Pres. Minty and Crumbs are going to _Mortal Kombat_ after we get some chow in us. I know it's not a racing game, but I heard it used to be in Game Central Station before our game came in. Maybe some of the guys there were friends of Wreck-It and Fix-It, not to mention hated Turbo's guts. Anyway, you've got to check it out with me! Who knows, maybe some of the guys can help get back our arcade."

"I'd love to," Vanellope said, "But..."

"We're not _fighting_, we're just _watching_, Pres. Come on!"

As Vanellope was being dragged off by Snowanna, she felt Silverman's strong arm grab her shoulder.

"If ye ever want to badmouth Turbo again, ye know where to find us." the captain smiled.

"Okaay then. I'll keep that in mind then." With that, the princess and Snowanna were headed for _Royal Diner _for a bite to eat.

"Hey, do me a favor, Vanellope?" Snowanna requested. "Stay away from those guys. They creep me out."

"We were just talking, Snow."

"Yeah, but that first mate character was...ugh, can't even think of it right now."

"But one thing's certain: the pirates hate Turbo," said Vanellope. "Which means they can help us kick him out of Game Central Station."

"Whatever." Snowanna rolled her eyes. "We'd be better off without those three. What about you, though, pres? How're you holding up?"

"I'm fine. It's only been a day, and yet it feels like a month's already passed. Look." Vanellope pulled up her hoodie, showing her already-growing bump to Snow, who raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on it afterward.

"It's already starting to grow?" The sherbet racer was confused, "But how?"

"Ralph's code's making the baby develop quicker than usual, so I've been told by the nurses. And they've already estimated it too. It'll be less than nine months for sure."

"Let's hope you don't go into labor at the wrong time then," Snowanna said with mock worry. "Anyway, let's meet up with Minty and everybody. I'm starving. And I know you're hungry too, seeing as you're eating for two. Wonder what you're gonna order today?"

...

"So this is Outlet Central," Rancis realized as he disembarked the train. The peanut butter cup racer was taking in the surroundings of the new atmosphere, at all the unfamiliar games and the characters bustling about, looking for only two in particular. He had to find Vanellope and tell her how he felt. He loved her, and he was going to make her understand that he was better than Wreck-It Ralph, who of course didn't deserve her. Just thinking about the wrecker burned Rancis up big time, and he couldn't wait to get rid of him so that Rancis and Vanellope would be together. _Don't worry, Vanellope, I'll make you mine. I'll make Wreck-It's death as painful as possible._ Rancis glanced over the foreign arcade again. _Turbo said they'd be here_. Then his assumptions were confirmed when he saw two women enter a restaurant game called _Royal Diner._ Both were familiar to him. Too familiar. One had a colorful afro, which made him realize it was Snowanna, and the other's hair was littered with candy, which caused him to smirk. But he was surprised that Ralph wasn't with them. It was strange, but he knew they were both there (possibly along with other Game Central Station residents), considering he'd found one of the two Turbo was looking for.

"Finding you didn't take long, Vanellope," Rancis laughed darkly. "And It's only a matter of time until you're mine. And if Wreck-It wants to stand between us, he'll be in for a surprise."

**Again, hope you guys enjoyed! And as said above, I'd love to hear your opinions in lieu of faves/follows. For those who have been reviewing regularly or every other chap, again I give my thanks.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Wreck-It Ralph or its characters!**

**The Viral Empire **

**Chapter 8**

"Where are we going, Green?" Markowski asked as he, Calhoun, Gloyd and Swizzle were following Luigi past the _Sonic the Hedgehog _port. The younger Mario claimed he knew a way out of Game Central Station entirely and to another arcade. None of them (aside from Luigi) were aware that there were other arcades besides Game Central Station, the only arcade they've known since being plugged in. This was a whole new mystery to them, and if it was going to offer them escape from Turbo and possibly lead them to Ralph and Vanellope, or any other escapees, they were willing to take it.

"Yeah, dude. Where?" Swizzle agreed.

"In here!" Luigi urged as he opened a door next to the port and ushered the others inside. They hurried down the long corridor, picking up their pace just in case Turbo was catching up with them. Eventually they reached a long, sleek train, even longer than the small trolleys leading to separate games.

"What is this place?" Gloyd wondered. "Where does that train lead to?"

"To Outlet Central."

Everyone jumped to see Sonia behind them, stepping from behind the train platform to meet them. "I see you escaped too."

"Yeah," said Calhoun, "How did _you_...?"

"Let's say I have Lucia to thank for that," the zombie slayer responded. "And how she's taught some magic in the past. Not a lot, but enough that would help me one day. And it did, seeing as I'm here and not still in bed with Turbo."

"Okay, TMI there, lady," Gloyd interjected.

"Outlet Central?" Markowski was confused, "Is that another arcade? Like Green was talking about?" The soldier nodded to Luigi.

"Yeah." Sonia nodded. "But _Hero's Duty _hasn't been plugged in long enough for you guys to learn about Outlet Central."

"Or any other arcade that's not GCS for that matter," Luigi added. "Neither do the _Sugar Rush_ guys probably." The younger Mario turned to Gloyd and Swizzle. "You guys were plugged in in 1997, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Swizzle shrugged.

"I'm surprised," Sonia raised an eyebrow at the two male racers. "You were plugged in in '97, and still haven't heard of Outlet..."

"Um, can we hurry here?" Gloyd cut her off, "That asshole's probably right behind us, and I do NOT want to get caught! Or killed! Or a pod slave like Fix-It was!"

"Pumpkin Runt's got a point," Calhoun agreed, "Let's move 'em out!" She started up the platform and boarded the train, with Markowski following, then Luigi, and then Sonia.

Suddenly buzzing was heard as Gloyd and Swizzle were the last ones to climb the platform.

"Aw, man..." the latter complained.

"I knew it..." agreed Gloyd as he noticed several green lights glowing in the corridor the group came from. "He had to send those bugs after us."

"C'mon, cavities! Get up here!" Calhoun urged as the buzzing grew louder.

"Hey! We're trying! Yelling sure isn't helping any!"

"Gloyd!" Swizzle misstepped and slipped off the platform, stumbling to the bottom of the steps.

"Swizz!" Gloyd then looked to see around a dozen Cy-Bugs flying out of the corridor, swarming the station. One spotted the fallen racer and was zeroing in on him. "Hang on, man! I'm coming!" The pumpkin racer hurried down the stairs to come to his friend's aid.

"Just go!"

"No way! We already lost Rancis to that creep! I'm not losing you! I'm coming!"

"Runt!" Calhoun shoved past Markowski and the others to get to the racers' aid, rifle in hand and firing at the insects threatening to attack the train. She noticed Gloyd hurrying up the stairs dragging Swizzle to safety. They reached the train, the latter hopping on first. But just as Gloyd was about to board, a Cy-Bug snatched him up.

"Gloyd!" Swizzle clapped his hands, conjuring a tornado that blew the Cy-Bug and its bretheren backward, releasing Gloyd before it could drag him away.

"Come on!" Markowski urged, as Gloyd and Calhoun quickly boarded. The doors slid closed behind them, keeping the Cy-Bug peril out.

"That...was...close..." the pumpkin racer panted as the train started to move. "I'm glad I'm not a _Hero's Duty _character."

"Yeah, well, _Sugar Rush_ isn't quite a game I'd live in, either," Calhoun countered. "I'd prefer fixing over racing if I were to choose."

"Speaking of fixing..." Luigi interjected, "I wonder where Fix-It ran off to after he almost killed Wreck-It."

"He sure wasn't himself when he remembered himself," added Sonia, "Not that I blame him. Imagine if that had been me and Lucia. Felix looked pretty depressed."

_Fix-It..._ Calhoun thought, glancing out the window back at the station, where the Cy-Bugs were still roaming. She missed her husband so much. And she'd give anything to see her Felix again. Tamora didn't want to lose him-she'd done it once already with Brad. She couldn't go through it again. She wouldn't, and once she reunited with Ralph, Vanellope, and others who may have escaped the Turbo onslaught, Calhoun vowed she'd fight until she got Felix back.

...

"Those idiots! Making fools out of me! OF ME!" Turbo was enraged. He was in his room, which he shared with Sonia, who was sitting at the foot of the bed. She seemed to be staring at nothing. The ex-racer was still feeling tender between his legs from where Gloyd had kicked him. He was enraged, and most of all annoyed. How he couldn't wait until his pets sent back five of his prisoners, regardless of whether they were dead or alive. Turbo wasn't going to let them get away to Outlet Central and warn Ralph and the glitch, which made his hopes that Rancis would carry out his will rise sky high. But at the same time, Turbo had doubts about the peanut butter cup racer, judging from the latter's refusal to kill Vanellope due to his feelings for her. Those feelings were amplified quite nicely by Ralph's still being alive. It was jealousy, and that was something Turbo liked in Rancis ever since the tyrant corrupted him. Rancis couldn't stand Wreck-It Ralph or the mere mention of the Bad Guy, especially when the wrecking machine was with Vanellope. And that was what Turbo was counting on. So what if Rancis refused to kill the glitch? As long as one of the (dead) targets were brought back to him, he was content. Turbo would deal with the other himself. The demented racer glanced over at Sonia, who was still staring blankly forward. This puzzled him, as he was usually met with curses (in Italian) and/or any other forms of insults.

"And what's with you?" Turbo asked the zombie slayer, "No Italian lesson today? No fighting back? Yeah, I suffered plenty of that from that cavity. Those _Sugar Rush_ brats and their upgrades! It pisses me off, you know? And that blonde, her dimwitted soldier, and that green Mario aren't any better. No matter, surely my pets'll be bringing back five dead or devoured bodies. Plus a few more if they make it to Outlet Central, hoo hoo hoo."

"Sir!" A corrupt soldier and a Toad burst in.

"What is it, you fools?" The racer spun on his two henchmen, annoyed with the rudeness.

"That large piranha thing's thrashing about down in the cells! And some of the Bob-ombs are exploding down here! Even the King Bob-omb himself is threatening to do it if we don't release..."

"And do you think I care? They can't get out of there, anyway! Those electric bars should be keeping them in place! Make them stop, or I'll come down there and kill them all!"

"But sir..."

"That's an order!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldier and the Toad saluted.

"But there's one thing you should know," the Toad spoke up.

"What?" Turbo was growing impatient.

"We just heard that those escapees made it out of here. The Cy-Bugs didn't catch them!"

"WHAT?" Now the tyrant was growing enraged, not believing what he'd just heard. The five runaways made it out alive, keeping the Cy-Bug pursuers at bay. Just after Turbo had been certain that they weren't going to survive. Now Ralph and Vanellope were going to be aware and more likely to return to save their arcade. But he wasn't going to allow that.

"Hey, what's with your girl?" the soldier gestured to the still-spaced-out Sonia.

"Is that any business of..." Turbo froze mid-sentence when he spun around to regard the slayer, who faded away into nothingness. "Milk my duds!"

"Was she some sort of hologram, sir?" Toad asked.

_Hologram is the right word..._ Now the ex-racer was more angered than before. Sonia, going so low as to use magic to... Turbo couldn't find the words, for he was furious at how he'd been tricked. _Damn that friendship of theirs! Lucinda WOULD teach her something like that! And that means Sonia's probably with that blonde and those cavities!_

"Sir?"

"Get that Surge Protector!"

"What for?"

"GET HIM! And calm that piranha plant thing while you're at it! Kill it if you need to!"

The soldier and the Toad scrambled out of the room, leaving Turbo seething with rage. He leaned over to the window, staring out at the ruins of _Hero's Duty_ and the roaming Cy-Bugs. He was not going to let anyone undo his hard work, not this time. He couldn't afford to be humiliated a second time. At this point, he was tired of waiting. Turbo was going to go to Outlet Central himself and deal with Ralph and his glitchy princess himself, along with the woman he loved for deceiving him. And as a bonus, take Outlet Central as his own.

_I hope you're prepared, Wreck-It Ralph! You and that glitch. You may be safe in that arcade for now, but you won't be for long, hoo hoo hoo. Because when I'm done with you, you and Outlet Central will bow before me! And I'll be enjoying every minute of it. It'll be...Turbo-Tastic, hoo hoo hoo._

**I think it's safe to let you know now that this installment will not be as long as the first, for as I said before, there will be little filler throughout. Anyway, things are starting to get to a head now, don't you think? Not long 'til the fun begins! As always, read and REVIEW! Your opinions bring joy and I'd love to hear your input and/or constructive crit.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wreck-It Ralph!**

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 9**

"Hey, need any fresh towels or anything?" A knock was heard at Vanellope's door, jolting the princess from her sleep the next morning.

"Coming." She got up out of bed to answer the door, though sluggish on her way there. Bella was at the door, wielding two towels and cloths with a smile upon her youthful face, making it hard to believe that she was programmed to be around thirty. The barmaid's smile fell when she noticed Vanellope reeling slightly back.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just got up too fast."

"Oh. Okay."

"Is she up yet?" Snowanna shoved past Bella to get in her president's room, noticing her answer.

"Such rudeness." the game's namesake shook her head, leaving the room in a sigh.

"How you feeling?" the sherbet racer asked.

"She's up, isn't she, Snow?" More voices were heard. "Tell me she is." Suddenly, Adorabeezle (her left arm in a cast), Jubileena, and Minty came in, overjoyed to see their princess/president awake.

"I'm doing fine, guys," Vanellope assured them, "Still a little light-headed, though." Then the princess noticed one missing from the group. "Where's Crumbs?"

"Still in the hospital game," Jubileena replied, "They're keeping her one more day. Sour Bill, Wynnchel, and Duncan checked on her earlier. Heard she's sitting up, but still with a killer headache."

"I thought it was just a small concussion."

"It was, but they're going through more tests to make sure there wasn't any more damage. Fix-It hit her pretty hard back there in GCS."

"I came out with this." Adorabeezle held up her bandaged arm. "But what about you? Snow filled us in on everything. Looks like comforting Wreck-It paid off, huh?" The popsicle-themed racer placed a hand on Vanellope's stomach, feeling her growing bump. "Wow."

"And that's not all I learned about it, either." Vanellope sat down on the bed.

"Wreck-It's code's making the kid develop quicker than usual, right?" Minty asked, "Yep, Snow told us the WHOLE story. Nothing's kept secret between us girls, Pres." She threw herself at Vanellope in a hug. "I'm so happy for you, Vanellope! Well, that's what I would've said if we weren't in the middle of a King Candy crisis right now, and if Wreck-It were okay. God, I hope he'll be fine. 'Cause if not, who's gonna raise him or her?"

"Whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves here, Minty. Stinkbrain's NOT gonna die. Besides, we need him."

"True. Oh, and we were planning on going back to _Mortal Kombat_ today, Pres. We were just waiting until you got up in case you were up for it."

"Didn't we just go yesterday?" Vanellope reminded, "Which, of course, was when Jubileena was drooling over that Nightwolf guy?"

"And he was a cute one too," added the cherry racer.

"You almost exploded in front of us when he was looking our way," Snowanna said. "Not directly at us, though."

"That Stryker was kinda sexy too," Adorabeezle sighed, "He even liked my cast." She held up her slung arm. "Must've thought I was a fighter, and I am. Ever since the upgrade and kicking the ice cream out of those Cy-Bugs and other King Candy-conquered stuff. And I so can't wait 'til I get my hands on the jerk himself."

"You told him you were a fighter, Adorbs?" Minty asked. "You lied to the guy?"

"Uh, Minty? It's the truth! We _were_ kicking Cy-Bug butt! And we're gonna kick more of it once we get back to Game Central Station and teach that Turbo-zo a lesson! Oh, and I told Stryker all that too."

"WHAT? Why?" Vanellope gasped.

"Hey, these people need to know why we're here, don't they?" Adorabeezle said, "Besides, what if King Jerk-of-the-Month decides to come here and try to take over Outlet Central?"

Vanellope knew the popsicle-themed racer had a point there. Turbo wasn't going to give up until the princess and Ralph were dead, not caring who was in the way, which produced the huge chance of the demented racer hitching a train to Outlet Central (with Cy-Bugs or corrupt characters) and finishing what the Felix virus had started, and take over said arcade while he was at it. Regardless of how Vanellope looked at it, it wasn't going to be pretty. She knew it wasn't. The princess knew just by being in Outlet Central, she was putting its residents at risk. Ralph _had_ to recover. He had to; otherwise it was over. All Vanellope had to do was hope.

"So, is that a yes for going back to _Mortal Kombat_?" Jubileena asked, excited.

"Yeah..." Vanellope said, a little halfheartedly. "But can we go check on Ralph first?"

"He hasn't changed, I'm sure," Minty shrugged, "Besides, stuck-up Christy probably might not let you in."

"Yeah," agreed Snowanna, "She's probably still pumping Wreck-It with another shot or something. She did say he needed about a dozen or so of those things. But he's in good hands either way, Vanellope. Now come on, let's go! I so don't wanna miss any good fights. And we'll need all the help from those guys we can get."

As the four women were headed out of Vanellope's room, the princess couldn't help but worry about Ralph, who was still out of it, but knew he was on the road to recovery.

_Ralph, tonight I'll check up on you. No stuck-up nurse is gonna keep me from seeing you. _

...

"That should do it," said Christy, completing her last injection of the day for Ralph, who had been given nine injections so far, five last night and four today. Each lasted only an hour and served as a stabilizer , which preserved Ralph's code and was doing its best to bring the wrecker back to full strength. But the infection from Malware Felix was still in him and was threatening to kill off the many antiviruses Christy had injected, judging from how his body had been going back and forth from warm to cold and vice versa. She'd gotten Billie to look for a stronger injection. The strongest ones they had. She'd also asked for help from Simon Patch, the mad scientist character from the Scottish import game _House of Madness_, where she'd explained the situation, and he'd been willing to help upon hearing Wreck-It Ralph's name. He'd agreed to make an antivirus in case Billie couldn't find one. Both were busy now, currently doing their part to restore Ralph. In the meantime, however, Christy could only wait. The player two nurse stared down at the "villain's" still form.

"We're gonna get you back up again, Wreck-It Ralph," she promised. "_Tu vas devenir d'accord._ And your girlfriend's hoping you pull through too. Plus, she has something waiting for you, but I'm not telling. I'm pretty sure next time she comes, she'll tell you. I'll look after you until then, _d'accord_?"

**Read and REVIEW! Next chapter in a few days!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wreck-It Ralph!**

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 10**

"These extra add-ons are serving me well," said Felix. He was in _Hero's Duty_, felling a trio of Cy-Bugs with crackling energy. Ever since he'd entered the Turbo-conquered game, the corrupt Good Guy had been caught up in target practice. In addition to Cy-Bugs, he'd been met by infected Piantas (at the port), Koopas, and many other (unwilling) creatures Turbo had recruited. And none of them stood a chance against Felix. "Turbo sure picked a bunch of weak characters to guard his place. Must've ran out of soldiers to guard. Not that I mind." The handyman chuckled, starting down the bridge toward the fortress. Suddenly, he heard buzzing.

"Another one." Felix turned to see a Cy-Bug zeroing in on him. "You guys never learn, do you?" Just as the insect made contact with him, the Good Guy caught it by its mouth, ripping it in two and tossing the twitching halves aside. "Is that the best you got, Turbo?" The handyman laughed maniacally as he crossed the bridge to the tower, approaching the doors to the compound.

"A trespasser. There shouldn't be any here!"

"Hey, isn't that that Fix-It guy the master threw away?"

Felix recognized the deep voices of Piantas right away. Three stepped out of the door once it opened, followed by two corrupt Kritters. _Not the best choice for guards, but who's complaining?_

"What the hell are you doing here, Fix-It?" one of the Kritters asked.

"Yeah," one of the Piantas agreed, "Didn't da master get rid o' ya?"

Felix chuckled at this, then, moving up to the Pianta's ear, whispered, "I _am_ your master. Your _new_ one. Or rather, I will be once I put an end to the old one. Where is he, if you don't mind me asking?"

"What's it to ya?"

Annoyed, the Good Guy hurled an energy orb at the Pianta who dared questioned him, killing the Delfino native instantly. Felix conjured up another one, holding it up to the other four, who backed away in fear.

"Now, is one of you going to talk? Surely none of you wants to end up like you just saw. Just a guess; otherwise, I'll just get it over with and find him myself."

"Well, you might as well kill us now," the Kritter shrugged, "'Cause he ain't here."

Again, Felix hurled the orb at the reptilian baddie, frying him just as he did the Pianta. The Good Guy could do this all day if he wanted to.

"He's right!" one of the other Piantas pleaded, "The master's _not_ here!"

"And you expect me to believe that, don't you?" Felix smirked. "I guess I'll just have to see when I get up there. Now, out of the way!" The Good Guy shoved past the corrupt henchmen, then stopped. "Of course, there's one detail I'd like to share first..." With that, he glitched.

"Where did he...?" the remaining Kritter wondered, but then turned to notice Felix right behind him! He didn't have time to react as the Fix-It malware grabbed the hapless creature by the throat with one hand and caught one of the remaining Piantas with the other.

"For Turbo's guards, you guys sure are dense."

"What the...?" The Kritter was starting to feel hoarse, then felt his life slipping away from him. The Pianta was feeling the same fate.

"You're amazed, aren't you?" Felix said, "And the same thing's going to happen to your master. Too bad you won't be here to see it."

The Kritter and the Pianta went limp, bodies going pale as the corrupt Good Guy tossed them aside as if they were nothing but trash. Then his gaze fell on the last Pianta guard, who was slowly backing away.

"C'mon, please! Please don't kill me!" he pleaded. Felix loved it when someone begged for his or her life. "I'll do whatever you want," the creature promised. "I was getting tired of da boss... um, Turbo! You're way stronger than him!"

The Good Guy cocked his head to the side, his smile going from cunning to maniacal within a span of seconds. "And you expect me to believe you, don't you?"

The Pianta gulped, staring fearfully into the eyes of the Felix malware, which screamed the desire to cause any form if agony and not caring who he killed in the process, even if they were servants of Turbo. But then the Delfino native noticed a slight shift in the Good Guy's attitude, as if he was starting to soften, but he still kept that insane smirk.

"I believe you."

"W-What?"

"I believe you," Felix repeated, "Your fear is enough that I know you understand who's superior here. That I am the most powerful virus in the arcade, even powerful than Turbo." The handyman approached the Pianta, who calmed down a little. "And for that, I'll share a little secret with you."

The creature raised an eyebrow in confusion, then the next thing he knew, Felix fired a stream of crackling red energy at him, ending his life instantly.

"I don't need servants or subjects," the Good Guy said, glancing down at the five dead bodies, then at the entire Cy-Bug-ridden atmosphere of _Hero's Duty_. Yes, there was going to be plenty of 'fixing' to be done once he took Turbo out of the picture. And along with him, Wreck-It Ralph and the glitch, as they were sure to get in the way, among others. He was not going to let the same thing happen as last time when he nearly killed said Bad Guy, when Ralph had weakened him so much his good side had taken over. That couldn't happen twice, nor was it going to, as the corrupt Felix made sure he surpressed that part of him upon taking over again. It was going to be different this time, and the Good Guy was going to ensure that he was the one on top in the end, with the arcade 'fixed' to his liking.

_I'll fix everything. And I'll fix it to my own desires._

**Sorry this took so long and a little short. I felt it more effective ending here instead of going to someone else's POV, which will be in the next chapter. Again, thank you to everyone who'd reviewed last chapter, and to those who's been reading and following but haven't reviewed...shame. Updates will probably be a little more frequent with the summer approaching and whatnot, so check this story often and don't forget to review (especially those who haven't been either throughout the fic, for the last few chapters, etc.), as let me know what I'm doing right or wrong. **

**Also, a couple of reviewers have been requesting Angry Birds, Pokemon, Star Trek Voyager, and Kingdom Hearts. The last one will have a character as a cameo later on, but just a cameo. As for the other three, it can't be done. Putting Angry Birds and PKMN in it is like putting Skylanders or Digimon in it. And they're all interactive games, which (in my opinion), can't pass for arcade games. Star Trek Voyager, on the other hand, is a tie-in to a movie/show. I'm not trying to shoot down ideas or anything, I totally appreciate them, but the thing about life is, you have to make sure things fit, especially in fanfiction. Console games, however, depending on what it is, can work, so if it's something from Sega, Nintendo, or any other platform you can think of, it's welcome.**

**Sorry this author's note's long, but that's what happens when you're responding to reviews. Again, I'm glad you all are enjoying the fic so far and see you next chapter! **


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Wreck-It Ralph or its characters!**

**The Viral Empire **

**Chapter 11**

"Sonya sure is kicking that guy's butt, huh?" Jubileena pointed out. The girls were in _Mortal Kombat_, watching the fight between Sonya Blade and Stryker, the former gaining the upper hand. Upon hearing the "Finish Him!," she landed a powerful kick to her opponent's face, knocking him out cold. The audience (which consisted of out-of-game characters mostly), cheered, shouts of "Go Blade" and "What a babe" among them.

"Yeah," Vanellope replied, "Feel sorry for your guy over there, Adorbs." She nodded toward Stryker, who blinked a few times then was suddenly back on his feet. He glanced their way, smiling, though it was directly at Adorabeezle, whose face glowed red with excitement. The popsicle-themed racer was starting to fall back, with Vanellope catching her.

"You need to get a grip there, girl," Snowanna chastised.

"But I can't help it, Snow..." Adorabeezle sighed, "He's just so... Oh no, he's coming over." The racer noticed Stryker approaching the group. She covered her face, hiding her embarrassment.

"Calm down, Adorbs," Minty stood her back up, then grabbed her shoulders. "Breathe, okay."

"Looks like you came to see my match today, huh?" Stryker said, eyeing the group of women.

"We sure did," replied Vanellope, smiling, "So, you got your butt kicked pretty hard out there, huh?"

"Yeah, Sonya's not the one you want to mess with. Trust me, Nightwolf underestimated her one time. And not in this game, on top of that. Sent him to Billie and Christy for two weeks. I think we were in Bella's that time. So...can you tell me why _she's_ hiding?" Stryker noticed Adorabeezle still looking away and facing Jubileena. "Hey, you know I can see you."

"You can?" The popsicle racer squeaked, face still lit like a Christmas light as she regarded the _Mortal Kombat _resident. "Oh, um... well..."

Stryker chuckled at this, then held out a hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the other guys. They'll be interested in your Turbo story. Pretty entertaining too when you told me about it yesterday."

"What? But it's not just a..."

"Don't be a wimp. You said you were a fighter. Come on." Stryker took Adorabeezle's hand, leading her toward his buddies and fellow fighters on the other side of the ring.

"From what I'm hearing from that guy," Jubileena guessed, "I'm thinking he didn't believe her. He thinks it's a story."

"But it's not," Minty said, "Which means that some of these games probably came out the same time as ours or later."

"But those pirates Pres. was making friends with yesterday knew Turbo," added Snowanna.

"Not to mention they made it perfectly clear that they hated his guts," added Vanellope. "They were even in Litwak's Arcade before this one."

"Arrgh. As I live and breathe. 'Tis the good lass again."

The _Sugar Rush _racers turned to notice Captain Silverman and his crew. They had been spectating the fight as well.

"A good fight that was, wasn't it, Vanellope lassie?"

"It was," the princess smiled.

"And who might these other lasses be?"

"Minty Zaki," Minty waved. "And these are Jubileena Bing-Bing and Snowanna Rainbeau." She gestured to the two racers behind her.

"Aye, we know who the colorful one is already," Gideon pointed out. "She was with the fair Penelope earlier."

"So? What bring you guys here?" Vanellope asked.

"The usual every week. Watch fights shake out," replied Lynch.

"Aye, but more importantly, we came to see if the fair lass Lara is here," Silverman explained, then noticed a brown-haired woman across the "ring." "That be her. And speaking of which, I be off. We meeting again, Vanellope and the sugar lassies." With that, the captain and his crew made their way across to the hero of _Tomb Raider_.

"So that's where Lara Croft moved to," Snowanna realized, staring at the woman intently. "'Cause she was in Litwak's when we were plugged in."

"Princess?"

Vanellope and the others recognized the monotone voice right away. They turned to see Sour Bill approaching, along with Wynnchel and Duncan.

"Guys!" the princess smiled, "Where've you been?"

"At the hospital game to get Crumbelina," Duncan replied. "They just released her. She wanted to come here with us, but the nurses insisted she rests for the rest of the day. I gotta say, those gals are tough."

"Especially that one called Christy," added Wynnchel, glancing up dreamily. "I sort of like that in a girl, you know? For a player two character."

"Wynnchel, we're food, remember? Anyway, you guys were watching some butt-kicking play out, weren't you?"

"Yeah," said Vanellope. "How's Ralph?"

"He's fine, Princess," Sour Bill answered. "I checked up on him when we got Crumbelina. Of course, I only had five minutes before the nurse rushed me out."

"I'm glad, though, Bill. Thank you." Vanellope kneeled down as low as her stomach could allow to pat the candy piece.

"This waiting around for Wreck-It to get better is killing me, though," Minty interjected, "I SO want our arcade back! I miss racing! I want kids to play as me again!"

"Zaki, we ALL miss _Sugar Rush_," Snowanna said. "And that reminds me. Pres, you still haven't told us what happened to Wreck-It."

"Yeah, Vanellope," Jubileena added, "He's in worse shape than Crumbs. How did he get end up like that?"

"Obviously, King Candy or whoever he is didn't kill him," Wynnchel put in.

"He didn't." Vanellope said, tears starting to well up again. This happened every time the question of THAT incident came up. And it was also the pregnancy talking. The princess looked up at all of them, smiling half-heartedly. Ever since the first Turbo/Candy incident, they had to reconstruct their friendship and trust. And it was in progress, judging from all the worried expressions she received. Vanellope could trust them. Besides, they had to know. Especially Sour Bill and Snowanna, her advisor and best friend respectively.

"Turbo didn't kill Ralph," she finally said, "But he's been banged up pretty good by Hammer Time."

"_Fix-It_ got to him?" Snowanna gasped. The other racers, the doughnut officers, and Bill were also interested. "How? Well, then again, he was a virus at the time like Turbo, so..."

"Turbo pitted Ralph and Hammer Time against each other."

"You're kidding!" Jubileena was surprised at the explanation.

"I'm not." Vanellope shook her head. "Luckily, Felix remembered himself just as he was about to kill Ralph, but the whole idea of the fight itself was just...horrible."

"That's insane," said Minty, "How sick can that Candy imposter get?"

"A lot sicker, apparently," Duncan grumbled. "I'm still miffed about at how that jerk locked away our memories last time."

"I want to get my hands on that guy even more now, just thinking about what the princess just said," Wynnchel added, then sighed. _Yeah, and die in the process. Good show of courage, Wynnchel._ The eclair shook his head, then regarded Vanellope with a smile. "So, Wreck-It's going to be fine then?"

Vanellope nodded. "And getting pumped with medicine all the same. We're gonna need him if we're gonna kick some Turbo butt and take back Game Central Station."

"And while we're at it, we could do some...recruiting." Jubileena added, glancing at the other characters (mostly _Mortal Kombat_) around them.

Vanellope knew she was right. The handful of them that had escaped weren't going to be. Besides, chances were that Turbo may have already found out where they were, and his corrupt servants, Cy-Bugs, and/or even himself were on their way there. It was going to be ugly, and she knew it.

"Vanellope?"

The princess was snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of the familiar voice. She turned around to see a blond, muscular young man pushing through the crowd of spectators. The peanut butter cup designs were a dead giveaway to who it was. "Rancis?"

"Yeah, it's me." the peanut butter cup racer shoved through the last of the crowd, relief on his face when he saw Vanellope alive and well.

"How did you...?" The last Vanellope saw Rancis, he was locked up like the others, watching the Ralph-Felix deathmatch. He must've done something to escape Turbo's wrath shortly after she and Ralph had escaped, though she had no idea what. Nonetheless, she was glad to see another familiar face. However, there was something...off about him, probably the slightly pale skin.

"It doesn't matter. The important thing is that I'm out of King Candy's pit and caught up with you. Thank goodness you're safe, Vanellope." Rancis pulled her into a hug, a little tighter than usual but the princess wrote it off as his missing her so much.

"Yep, I'm safe, and everyone else is here too." Vanellope gestured to Snowanna and the others, who were just as glad to see the peanut butter cup racer.

"Nice to see someone else outsmarted that bozo," Jubileena smiled. "Now we got some muscle on our side."

_Funny joke there, Jubileena_, Rancis thought. _Like I'm here to help you losers._

"So? You guys wanna go back to _Royal Diner_?" Snowanna asked, "Maybe Rancis can share with us how he escaped King Psycho. I know I'd love to know."

"We'll get something for Crumbelina to go," said Duncan, "Hopefully she'll be awake by the time we get back to Bella's."

"Actually, you guys go ahead," Rancis decided, "I just had something from there. Besides, I want to catch up on things with Vanellope. Just the two of us. We'll catch up with you later."

"Hey, we want to know how you escaped too," Minty countered. "Did you tip Candy off or something?"

"Yeah, kid," Wynnchel agreed, "And what's so important that you can only share with the princess, huh? Is it some sort of proposal?"

Rancis winced at the word. "No, it's just that there's...something I'd like to share with Vanellope alone." The peanut butter cup racer snaked his arm around her waist, again a little tighter.

"What are you talking about, Rancis?" The princess asked. The male racer was starting to worry her. Something wasn't right with him, but she didn't know what. First he avoids the question as to how he escaped, now he's being a bit...possessive of her all of a sudden. Neither of those things was like Rancis, and the princess knew it. It was still confusing for her, and the thing that he wanted to share with her alone sounded like it was important. If that was the case, maybe the whole possessiveness was an act and Rancis was (indirectly) asking Vanellope to play along so they _could _be alone. Besides, it could be something having to do with saving Ralph and/or a plan to dethrone Turbo.

"I'll tell you when we get to somewhere quiet."

"We can go back to my room in Bella's."

"Vanellope," Minty groaned, "We need to know too. Who knows, it could be something related to how we can kick Turbo's butt."

"Or get Wreck-It back on his feet sooner," Snowanna added. "Or a combination of the two, maybe. Rancis probably stole an antidote from that psychopath." _Yeah, Snow. Fat chance of that. Not without Rancis dying in the process._

"It could be," Rancis smirked. _Yeah, right. Like _I'd _help Wreck-It. Just hearing that ape's name pisses me off. He's the one who stole my princess from me. Now I've got her back. And if Wreck-It's here, he'll be looking for Vanellope. Then I'll kill him right in front of her._

**Yep, two updates in one week. Making up for the short chapter earlier this week. I've already got the final few chapters written out, I just need to get them uploaded so I can get started on my third and last installment to this epic trilogy (which most of you are looking forward to). As always, I'm glad you're enjoying it and hope you all are hungry for more. **

**Don't forget to REVIEW! I'd love to hear your insights and opinions. Things are heating up now.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Hello, everyone! Just a few things I'd like to point out before I get started:**

**1. I'm at 91 reviews in my first installment "Rise of the Viral Empire". If you've been following and reading it, but haven't reviewed, could you do so? I'd like to get to 100 on that one since I'm 9 reviews close. Having 100 reviews for two of my fics (the first being "The Forbidden Cake") would be a huge honor. **

**2. I've seen a lot of you just following and faving but aren't reviewing this fic. I know it lets me know that someone is enjoying and reading it from afar, and that's good, but I'd like to hear your insights on it. An "I like this" or a "This is good" can really make a writer's day. To those who did fave, follow, and review, thanks a bunch. Not that I'm being ungrateful or anything. It's just that sometimes a fave or a follow isn't enough.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wreck-It Ralph!**

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 12**

_"Where am I?" Ralph wondered as he glanced around, taking in his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was being in the _Hero's Duty_ pit, at the mercy of the corrupt Felix, who had almost killed him back there. And then Turbo was about to finish the job after the Good Guy had remembered himself, until Vanellope stepped in and protected the wrecker. Then he blacked out shortly after that. Now Ralph was in some sort of strange world, where nothing but pure white surrounded him. Was he dead? Did he die upon Vanellope saving him? Ralph was confused by all of this, even more when he heard voices in the empty world._

_"Are you Wreck-It Ralph?"_

_"Who was that?" The wrecker was looking around again, this time in search of the owner of the voice. Suddenly he saw a silhouette approaching , too tall to be either Felix or Vanellope and it wasn't Calhoun either. Ralph moved closer to the mystery person, revealing it to be a man. And a handsome one at that, with dark brown hair and eyes. He was clad in the same armor as Calhoun, so obviously he was from _Hero's Duty._ Ralph knew he had never seen or heard of this guy before._

_"Yep, you're him alright," the man smiled, "I heard all about you from listening in on Tammy and that Fix-It guy. Can't believe we're actually meeting like this."_

_"Whoa, whoa. First of all, who are you?"_

_"Where are my manners? I'm Brad. Brad Scott. And here I thought you knew the whole deal between Tammy and I. Fix-It did, of course, but you...?"_

_"I'm not exactly the one who married her. Felix doesn't really say anything that's best kept between him and Calhoun to me, so I wouldn't know. But from your armor, I'm guessing you're from _Hero's Duty_, then?"_

_"Well, technically speaking, yes, but I wasn't actually part of the gameplay. I was kinda motivation for Tammy and formed her current character."_

_Ralph scratched his head in confusion about this. "You lost me there."_

_"I was a programmed past. A backstory that gave Tammy a grudge against the Cy-Bugs. It was on our wedding day, and neither of us thought anything of Cy-Bugs or work or anything. We were too eager to get married and start the rest of our lives together. But...you know what they say, all good things must come to an end. And that was what happened there." _

_Ralph noticed a little bit of heartbreak in Brad's tone. "What happened?"_

_"A Cy-Bug broke in, and before we could say 'I do,' I was Cy-Bug food. And that was the last thing I remembered before I ended up here. If only my assistants and I never started on that experiment..." Brad trailed off, then regarded Ralph again, who started to feel a little pang of guilt for the man. "Forgive me. I know it wasn't any of your business._

_"No, it's okay, actually. That's kinda what Vanellope and I are going through. I mean, not the same way with you and Calhoun, but in a friendship way. I don't want to lose her, nor do I want to be separated from her."_

_"Sounds like love to me, Ralph," Brad said. "If you care about that Vanellope that much, then yeah, I'd call it love."_

_"But it's not." Ralph blurted out, but he knew he was just kidding himself. The wrecker loved Vanellope. Ever since the upgrade, he knew he had feelings for her. Part of him wondered if Vanellope felt the same way about him, but knowing her answer wouldn't matter if he was dead. First things first, Ralph had to find a way out of this white, empty world. And he hoped and prayed Brad would know something._

_"Of course it's love. See, you're blushing." Brad noticed Ralph's cheeks growing red. "Anyway, Fix-It must've roughed you up pretty hard back in _Hero's Duty_, huh?"_

_"It's not like it was Felix's fault. He was corrupted by Turbo. He couldn't help himself."_

_"Turbo..." Brad repeated the name with disgust in his voice. "That guy just won't give up, won't he? Hasn't he learned his lesson from last time?"_

_"Apparently not, because he's in control of _Hero's Duty_ and Game Central Station, with Cy-Bugs around every corner."_

_"And he's been screwing with character's codes and turning them into his followers. Don't worry, I know everything that's been going on in the arcade. One of the perks of being dead. Specifically Tammy, and I know what she's going through right now with Fix-It. And I'm gonna tell you this: I don't want my Tammy going through the same thing with Fix-It as she had been with me. I can't bear to watch her in pain again, and if she loses him, well... I don't even want to think about it."_

_"Which is all the more reason I need to get out of here. Where exactly _is_ here?"_

_"Where _all_ dead characters go when they die outside their game. It has no name, exactly, but it's the afterlife for us. But _you_, Wreck-It Ralph, are not dead. Not yet, at least. You're in between life and death right now."_

_Ralph winced, upon hearing the last voice he wanted to hear. _How did _he_ get here? _Ralph glanced behind him to notice the creature of his nightmares approaching him and Brad. The candy-themed getup and huge, bulbous head were not hard to miss. _

_"Turbo! What are you doing here?" the wrecker demanded, not buying into the King Candy getup. "Did Vanellope kill you already and send you here? If so, you deserve it."_

_"Turbo?" Candy repeated. "You must be mistaken."_

_"Don't play dumb with me! Last time I saw you, you were about to kill me!"_

_"Kill you? No, you must have me confused with that Turbo creep, who, of course, was how I was sent here."_

_"You _are_ Turbo," Ralph growled, incredulous at how Game Central Station's Most Wanted was playing innocent._

_"I'm not, Wreck-It Ralph. I _am_ King Candy. The _real_ one, before Turbo took over _Sugar Rush_. I'm Vanellope's father."_

_Ralph could find no words for that last line. King Candy? Vanellope's father? Now that was something he didn't hear everyday or believe. He'd rather hear more of Gene's insults than this. But at the same time, part of Ralph was curious about the saccharine ruler's story, especially the part where Candy was killed by Turbo and before that had been an actual character of _Sugar Rush. _What if Candy wasn't trying to trick him? What if the diminutive man before him _was _ the real _Sugar Rush_ king? What if he'd been a real character, ruling before Vanellope? So many answers about King Candy was playing at Ralph's brain. He had to know more._

_"So let me get this straight," the wrecker began, "You're Vanellope's father? And there was actually such a character as King Candy?"_

_"He's telling the truth, Ralph. Don't worry."_

Now what?_ The "villain" turned to notice another man approaching. He looked so much like Felix, only aged and a little gray around the tips of his mustache and hair. Ralph quickly recognized the man._

_"Felix...Sr.?" he stared at the man who was possibly Felix's father. _

_"Yep," Felix Sr. nodded. "And I know Turbo's left a bad taste in everyone's mouths, including ours, and seeing King Candy surprised you a little, but everything Candy's saying is true."_

_"And may I say, my vanilla bean's been risking her life to keep you safe, Ralph. The way she saved you from Turbo...I'm proud of her for that," The saccharine monarch said, "That upgrade is serving her well, making her into quite the young woman and all." He chuckled at this. "And she'll become...something else too, which is why I want to know, Wreck-It Ralph." Candy regarded the wrecker with a curious (though serious) look on his face. Ralph had to take a few seconds to make sure his suspicions about his being Turbo were wrong. "Do you love my Vanellope?. I mean, as in to the point of wanting to be with her for the rest of your life?"_

_Ralph stared at King Candy for a long second, eyebrow raised at the sudden question. The truth was, he _did_ love Vanellope, that was for sure, but what the sugary king was implying was something...beyond that. Like marriage, perhaps? Ralph quickly shook off that possibility, knowing that something such as that was something he wasn't ready for yet. He'd already witnessed it, of course, with Felix and Calhoun, but actually being the groom? Ralph was having cold feet just thinking about it. But he _did_ love Vanellope, more than anything. He could hardly live through the day without the princess calling him Stinkbrain or Major Bodyodor, among other pet names. Candy's question, however, raised confusion in Ralph._

_"Why would you ask that?" the wrecker inquired._

_"I just wanted to know. Especially when Vanellope has a... surprise waiting for you when you return that very well depends on how you really feel about her."_

_"I..." Ralph didn't know what to say, as he was now lost on the "surprise" part. What did Vanellope have that depended on his feelings for her? Not that he didn't have feelings for the princess. The wrecker loved her. More than one imagined, but the question coming from the deceased monarch was not only sudden but somewhat awkward, though not so much the latter because Candy was indeed Vanellope's father and obviously wanted her to be happy, especially after they took care of Turbo and saved Game Central Station. And Ralph knew that he could make her happy. Of course he was a destructive man, a bad guy, but he was also passionate and protective of her. He'd give his life to make sure Vanellope would be safe. The wrecker glanced from Brad, to Felix Sr., and finally to King Candy, who was awaiting the "villain's" answer. Ralph still couldn't get past the fact that there had been such a character in _Sugar Rush_. Just looking at the saccharine king reminded him too much of the impostor in the living world who was possibly still wreaking havoc at every turn. But at the same time, the wrecker found himself believing that this was indeed Vanellope's father. He smiled at him, which was rare. Then nodding, he said, "Yeah, I _do _love her. There's no one I'd rather be with than her. And I won't let Turbo get to her. Once I get out of here, that is." Then Ralph regarded Felix Sr. "Don't worry, I'll get Felix back to himself too. _Fix-It Felix Jr._ won't last much longer if nobody reaches out to him."_

_"I just can't believe Turbo would do such a thing to my boy," the aged Felix shook his head, saddened at what was becoming of his son. "And now look what's happening to him now. He's..."_

_This raised curiousity in Ralph. Something about how Felix Sr. paused scared him. "Felix is what...?"_

_Felix Sr. slowly turned to regard the wrecker, a worried expression on his face. "You wouldn't believe it if I'd told you."_

...

"So? How did you get out, Rancis?" Vanellope inquired. She and the peanut butter cup racer were in the former's room in _Barmaid Bella_, sitting on the bed and enjoying each other's company. But each time the princess stole a glance at Rancis, something about him was freaking her out, namely his red-rimmed eyes, which she swore were not like that before. "You still haven't told me."

"You know what? That doesn't matter, don't you think? The important thing is that you're safe, and I found you at last. And this time, I'm not going to lose you. Not again." Rancis scooted closer to Vanellope, pulling her to him with his arms around her waist. The princess, to her surprise, felt warm in his arms, not to mention somewhat safe, her suspicions about him almost gone but were still nagging at her, especially the words that had just come out of his mouth. Sure, Rancis was one of her closest friends ever since the King Candy incident, but something was telling her that this was not the same Rancis, even though he smelled of the same scent: chocolate and peanut butter. This one sounded a bit...overprotective. And...possessive. It also showed a bit earlier, when he nearly begged for a minute alone with Vanellope. She had suspicions about Rancis then, and now they were growing more and more into reality, especially when it was clear she didn't love him the way she loved Ralph. But even so, Vanellope still loved Rancis for a friend. She kept reminding herself of that as she felt Rancis's embrace around her tighten, but then the next words that came out of the peanut butter cup racer's mouth raised the growing anxiety in her.

"I want you to come back with me tomorrow," Rancis proposed.

"What?" Vanellope gasped.

"You heard me, Vanellope. Come back with me. We can stop Turbo together now. I know a way to do it."

"You do? How?"

"I'll tell you once we get back to GCS."

"I can't leave Ralph, Rancis." Vanellope smiled halfheartedly, "He's still recovering, and we're gonna need him."

"I have superstrength too, Vanellope," Rancis countered, almost whispering in her ear. "I can take Turbo just as well as Wreck-It can."

"But you'll get yourself killed, what with all those add-ons he has now. We need Ralph, and everyone else here!" Vanellope pulled away from the male racer, glaring at him. _What's gotten into him, all of a sudden?_

"And I'm trying to tell you: forget about Wreck-It!" Rancis shoved Vanellope into a pin on the bed, red-rimmed glare meeting hers. "He's just fine here. We don't need to wait for that ape! We can attack now. Besides, what do you see in him, Vanellope?"

It was from that one question that Vanellope knew there was something completely wrong with Rancis. Was this jealousy she was sensing from him? Granted, he was probably in love with her, but why was he acting this way? Then she got her answer when the male racer tightened his pin on her. The bloodshot eyes were also a dead giveaway.

_Turbo..._ Vanellope realized, _He got to Rancis, which means...he knows we're here._ "What do you have against Ralph, Rancis? Why are you so jealous of him?"

"I'm not jealous, Vanellope. It just sickens me seeing you with him. Why do you love him more? What does he have that I don't? What do I have to do to make you mine, Princess?"

Fear boiled within Vanellope as she stared into the eyes of her closest friend. This was definitely unlike Rancis. Mix his jealousy with Turbo's influence and it spelled disaster. And the princess could see it written all over Rancis's face as he moved to her ear.

"Forget about Wreck-It, Vanellope," he whispered, moving in to untie the Twizzler ribbon in her hair, undoing the ponytail.

"Stop!" Vanellope clenched her fists, which started to crackle with blue energy. She hurled a stream at Rancis, not strong enough to kill him but just enough to fend him off so she could escape. The princess started for the door, hoping to wake Snowanna or Bella or anyone nearby.

But Rancis was (surprisingly) quicker. He grabbed her by the waist, dragging her back to the bed. The peanut butter cup racer glared down at Vanellope, whose brown were now filled with fear.

"Pretty clever, Vanellope," Rancis said, hovering on top of her. "Too bad it didn't work."

"Rancis! Don't you hear yourself right now? Don't you know this is Turbo using you? This is his doing, and so not like you!"

The male racer, however, only smirked at this. "Maybe Turbo _isn't_ the enemy. It could be Wreck-It, which makes sense, seeing as he's the bad guy of his game who _wrecks buildings_. He's the monster, Vanellope, stealing you away from me. And I can save you from him." Rancis caressed the princess's face. "Such beauty. You deserve better than Wreck-It, and I can show you how much better I am than him."

* * *

"Oh...no..." Crumbelina whispered, pulling away from the keyhole. She had been in the tavern game all day, ever since she'd been released from _L'Hopital Mysterieux_, recovering from the mild concussion she'd received from Felix. The posh racer had heard Rancis and Vanellope come in, as well as their conversation, given that hers and Minty's room was right next door to theirs, not to mention how the "conversation" was taking a not-so-pleasant turn.

"What's going on, Crumbs?" Snowanna wondered, coming out of her room to meet up with the posh racer. "You're supposed to be..."

"I know, I know. But I heard moaning and I had to go and check it out, and it's Vanellope! You guys didn't tell me Rancis escaped."

"Hey, we've been out all day while you were here, so of course you're the only one who doesn't know."

"What's up?" Jubileena came out, joining the sherbet racer. Minty followed suit, with Adorabeezle behind her.

"You guys are making some serious noise out here, you know?" Minty pointed out. "Why _are_ you guys out here, anyway?"

"It's Vanellope, you guys," Crumbelina gestured to Vanellope's room. "And Rancis. He's..."

"Rancis? No way." Snowanna rushed to the door, peeking through the keyhole of the princess's room...where Rancis was on top of her. Then they heard her screams, which weren't of excitement but more of pain and fear. The sherbet racer turned away from the keyhole, dreading what she'd been watching.

"What?" Adorabeezle asked when Snow didn't answer. "What's wrong?"

"Get Wreck-It!" was all the sherbet racer said.

"But Wreck-It's not..." Minty started.

"Then you better try to wake him! We're not letting this continue, I don't care if that's a fellow racer. Especially if it may be Turbo controlling him! Now hurry!"

The other _Sugar Rush_ racers nodded, knowing this was serious. They hurried out to head for _L'Hopital Mysterieux_. But Adorabeezle stopped when she noticed Snowanna staying put.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked.

"I'm staying here," Snow replied, "I gotta save my girl, at least buy time until Wreck-It gets here. This is all Turbo's hand here. I know it is, and you know what? That jerk's so crossed the line now."

**I finally got this chapter done! And it's the longest one I pulled out so far in this fic! Anyhoo, hope you guys enjoyed it as always and don't forget to REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed the last chapter! Glad you're enjoying it so far. Next chapter's officially up, though this'll be the last chapter for a week because I'm giving electronic devices a break. I'll still be writing out the chapters for the final story to the trilogy, as I currently am. Only a few chapters left in this one, probably about 3 or 4, we'll see. **

**Disclaimer: It's been 12 chapters. Everyone should know by now. **

**The Viral Empire**

**Chapter 13**

_"No way!" Ralph gaped when Felix Sr. finished telling him about what became of Felix Jr. _

_"I'm afraid it's true, Ralph," the aged handyman sighed, as if just telling the wrecker was hard to bear. "My son is completely lost now. And the fact that Turbo had lost control over him is the icing on that cake. Felix is an uncontrollable virus now."_

_"What? I thought Felix remembered himself. Last time I saw him was at the pit and he almost killed me. Then he regained his memories...and ran." Ralph remembered that day all too clearly, and he didn't want to be reminded of or relive that hell again._

_"But the virus never left him, Ralph. Viruses are difficult to nullify, even restoring the victim's codes isn't enough. It's practically a part of Felix's programming now. And now it's completely taken him over, body and code."_

_"And storming _Hero's Duty _as we speak," Brad added. "You can forget about Turbo's 'subjects' standing up to Fix-It, because he's picking them off left and right. He's that strong."_

_"It's thanks to those add-ons he's applied in _Fix-It Felix Jr._" King Candy spoke up. "The same thing Turbo did in _Hero's Duty_ when he coded himself in and reprogrammed the game into his empire. But now with Fix-It at the helm... who knows what terror could await you and Vanellope when you get up there. All the more reason for you to hurry back to Game Central Station and stop him before he goes along with whatever plan he has. I do know that it's not anything positive, though."_

_"But...I can't kill Felix," Ralph said, "That'll put our game in danger again like last time. Besides, he's my friend. And who knows what Calhoun would do if she were to lose him."_

_"You might not have a choice, Ralph," Felix Sr. said, "I care about my boy, but that piece of malware isn't him. And if it's a decision between the arcade and a life..."_

_"NO! I WON'T KILL FELIX!" Ralph slammed his fists into the white ground, but, surprisingly, it didn't shake or crack. The wrecker glared at the three deceased characters, his look of refusal evident on his face. He was not going to kill Felix, neither was anyone else. He cared about the Good Guy just as much as he did Vanellope. Like a 'brother' should, and if he lost him, not only would _Fix-It Felix Jr._ be unplugged, but he would never forgive himself. He would be mad at himself for the rest of his life for not being there for his best friend and in-game nemesis. And Calhoun would be in just as much pain, having already lost one love. Ralph believed there was a little spark of the Good Guy trapped inside the corrupt exterior, and he was going to reach out to it. _

_"I know how you feel, Ralph," Brad spoke up, "And if I were in your shoes right now, saving Tammy, I'd do everything I can to reach out to her. Or her in your shoes saving Fix-It. I understand completely, and if there's a spark of hope inside that malware, then it means that Fix-It's trying to fight his way to the surface. But as King Candy and Fix-It Sr. were saying, the odds are against you, I'm afraid."_

_"But that doesn't mean there isn't hope, Ralph," Felix Sr. added. _

_"And you're going to need plenty of it if you hope to save the arcade," Candy put in, "Hurry back to the living, Ralph. And go back to my Vanellope. Quickly!"_

_..._

"We need to see Wreck-It Ralph!" Minty urged. She and the other _Sugar Rush _racers (minus Snowanna) burst into the hospital game, the nurse at the front desk jumped back, startled.

"_Mon dieu_," she cursed, then regained her composure. "Sorry, but visiting hours..."

"Look, we need his help! It's an emergency!" Jubileena pleaded.

"They're okay, Phoebe." Billie stepped out of the ER to greet the _Sugar Rush _racers. "Christy and I were waiting for Princess von Schweetz, but you guys are fine. Come with me, I have some good news."

Minty and and the other racers followed, heading down the hallway and toward Ralph's room, where Billie stopped.

"It's about Wreck-It, huh?" Crumbelina inquired.

_"Oui_, and it's a miracle. Looks like pumping those injections paid off," Billie said.

"Is Penelope out there, Billie?" Christy poked her head through the door, seeing the other racers instead. Then she smiled. "That'll do. Then it'll be a surprise for her. Come in, girls." The player two nurse opened the door, letting them in. And they were relieved to see Ralph sitting up, fully recovered from the virus.

"Seriously, I have never guessed that our injections would work on someone so..." Billie regarded Ralph, carefully choosing her synonym, "...strong."

"Wreck-It! You're okay!" Adorabeezle said.

"Yep, I'm fine, cavity." The wrecker smiled down at the four racers, not sensing Vanellope in the bunch. "Did Vanellope send you guys to get me?"

"Actually, no. We came here hoping you were awake and recovered. Or we'd try to wake you so..." Crumbelina started, worry in her tone about what was becoming of their president.

"Okay, what's that look for? What's going on? Did something happen to Vanellope?"

All the racers nodded, but it was Minty Zaki who spoke. "Vanellope is..."

"Vanellope's what, kid?" Ralph inquired.

"Rancis..." Crumbelina put in. "That King Candy jerk got to him, now Rancis is..."

It was from that pause that Ralph started to piece together what was going on. Turbo knew where they were, whereever _there_ was. Ralph had been out of it most of the time, so he had no idea where Vanellope had taken him, let alone which game he was in. He knew it wasn't anywhere in Game Central Station. Ralph had plenty of time for that later, as he bolted out of bed and out of the room. The ex-racer had gone too far now, using the peanut butter cup racer to do his dirty work.

"Wait!" Christy called, but there was no stopping him. "And he's only just recovered too."

"We still need to X-ray him to make sure every last virus is gone," added Billie.

"Trust me, you're gonna need to do that soon," Minty assured the nurses, "Just not on Wreck-It." Then she regarded the Jubileena, Adorabeezle, and Crumbelina. "Come on, guys. He might need some help."

**Read and REVIEW! I'd love to hear your opinions! And look forward to the drama coming next!**


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